


Like an Ocean

by Mad_Mage



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Episode VII: The Force Awakens (2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, F/M, Force Bond (Star Wars), Force Ghosts
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-01-10
Updated: 2018-04-08
Packaged: 2019-03-03 04:22:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 13
Words: 38,776
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13333410
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Mad_Mage/pseuds/Mad_Mage
Summary: Long before the insanity of the First Order and the nightmare of Kylo Ren, Rey dreamt of an ocean, an island, and a crushing sense of loneliness. The Force obviously wasn’t above nudging its users along a bit.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Oh, hello there! Just a quick word before you dive in. This story is a pretty open to interpretation about the pairing, and nothing from the SW universe belongs to me. For now, enjoy!

The ocean was huge, more than exceeding her wildest expectations. Rey couldn’t stop herself from staring while the Falcon slowly circled around the island in its middle; small, grassy speck of land full of rocks and dangerous cliffs. From above, there was no trace of civilization, and it looked all but abandoned eons ago. Yet she could feel it. There was something on it which had been calling to her through time and space for as long as she could remember.

It was the island she had spent years dreaming about, and Rey felt her heartbeat pick up. She knew the place, and she knew that a man lived there in complete isolation. She had felt his loneliness, his pain, and those emotions were intimately familiar to her. It was always hard to tell which feeling was hers – and which bled through the dreams and belonged to him.

Chewie did one more circle around – and there, oh, there! Rey blinked and stopped breathing for a second. A lonely figure stood on top of a high cliff.

It was him, that man. Then her gaze widened when the realization hit her full force; he was also Luke Skywalker. When she had set out to find the last Jedi master, Rey had had no idea what to expect. However, she had not imagined this place, least of all _him_.

Her blood ran cold, and she gripped the armrests tightly in her fists. All of her hopes shattered right in front of her while she gazed at the familiar surroundings. Faces flashed before her eyes – Finn, Poe, General Organa’s hopeful eyes. They all hoped for Skywalker’s return, he was supposed to be the one to turn the tide of their endless war against the First Order, their last hope.

Rey took a deep breath shakily. What she had thought to be only dreams, a recurring theme to alleviate her own loneliness had been real all the time. Her imaginary friend was real. His pain was real, his sorrow, all of his demons.

Force, Luke Skywalker was broken.

Unbidden and unwelcome, the memory came to her mind as Chewie found a place to land near the only sandy beach on the whole island. _That_ beach.

-

“What’s that?” Rey asks. Her voice is small, and her hazel eyes are too dark, too large on her sunburned face. It’s one of the first times she sees him. “What’s that feeling? You’re cold.”

He is just a dark shape somewhere in front of her, but Rey is not afraid. He hurts, she can tell. His shoulders are slumped, and his head bowed. He’s shivering. Slowly, the man turns, and Rey blinks, surprised. Blue eyes are watching her, face half hidden behind a long scruffy beard.

His clothes, the tips of his too long hair and beard are wet, and Rey can’t wrap her mind around that. Where in the world could exist enough water to do that to someone’s clothes? Definitely not on Jakku.

“Oh, hello, young one.” The voice is hoarse. Was he crying? When Rey cries and screams, in the night, when those unpleasant dreams come, she wakes up in the morning talking like that. “You should not be here, though it’s nice to have some company. Even if it’s only in my mind.”

Funny, Rey thought that he was in _her_ dream. “What are you doing?”

He hesitates and takes a slow step towards her. The strange weightless feeling they share, cold and unfamiliar, abates a bit the closer he gets to Rey. Then they are left freezing. Rey tries to see what is behind him but there’s only darkness. The only thing she sees clearly is him.

“What was that?” Rey gasps and wraps her arms around herself. “What were you doing?”

After a heartbeat, he crouches in front of her. There’s sand under their feet now, it clings to him. Blinking back tears, he thinks for a moment before he says, “Swimming.”

“Swimming?”

“That’s what you do in water. Have you never swum?”

“No.” Now Rey is shivering violently. “There’s not much water on Jakku, you know.”

“I suppose it’s not.” He gazes away from her, his own body shaking with cold. “That’s a desert planet, isn’t it?”

“I don’t like sand,” Rey grumbles. It gets everywhere, and it’s scratchy and – she doesn’t like sand at all. She digs her toes into it and frowns. When it’s wet, it feels different, almost pleasant. Perhaps she doesn’t like only the sand on Jakku.

At that, the man turns back to her, and he gives her a small smile. “I don’t like it either.”

“Do you usually sw-swim in your clothes? It doesn’t feel very good.”

“Ah, no, not usually. I just,” he stops and buries his face in his hands, stifling what Rey knows is a sob. He coughs and rubs his eyes. “You don’t swim with most of your clothes on. As you pointed out, it’s not a very pleasant experience.”

Rey wants to answer, but then she catches a glimpse of something behind him and gasps. There’s water, lots of it, filling the whole horizon. Its dark blue and it reflects the moonlight.

“What is that?”

“An ocean.”

“It’s very pretty.”

He nods and observes her while Rey gawks at the miracle. They remain silent for a long time, their breaths leaving their bodies in small puffs of vapor. Then she notices again the tremors running through his body and tears her eyes from the water. They are very, very cold, she realizes.

“You can freeze to death in winter at night. I saw a man who died like that once. You should get warm.” Rey says and touches his face. He starts, and his eyes widen at the contact. Her hand radiates warmth and Rey become aware of something important.

“Y-you should get w-warm, too,” he says, choking back emotions she can’t understand. She knows now that the cold she feels is coming from him. Rey is safely tucked in her blankets in an AT-AT she found earlier in the week. She thinks she will make it her home. Better than to share with other orphans in Niima.

“I’m not cold, silly.” With all the decisiveness of a nine-year-old, Rey smiles and wraps her arms around his neck. The beard is as scratchy as it looks, but she doesn’t mind. The best way to keep warm is to share body heat. Lessons of survival are the first children of Jakku learn otherwise they don’t last long. “You are. Is there a place where we can make fire?”

For a few heartbeats, he remains still and then returns the embrace with a shuddering breath. He picks her up from the sand and carefully rises to his feet. Stumbling, he leaves the ocean behind. The last thing Rey does before she wakes back in her old AT-AT is touching her small palm to his cheek again.

-

It took her most of the afternoon to climb the cliff. She knew the way just fine – there wasn’t much chance of getting lost on the island anyway. Skywalker had remained where she had first glimpsed him, and when she finally approached him, he had his back turned to her.

“I did not expect anyone to find me so soon.” The voice was rusty from disuse, the tone detached, yet Rey had no doubt that it was him. Slowly, the pieces clicked into place. She was Force-sensitive, and he was a Jedi master, and they were probably the only active Light users left in the whole galaxy – General Organa had made her opinion known loud and clear. The Force itself meant for them to meet and obviously, the Force was not above nudging them along a bit.

With this knowledge in mind, Rey felt braver facing him. Her words came out loud and clear, “I did not expect to be here at all.”

Skywalker whirled to face her with lightning speed. His face betrayed his shock at hearing her voice, and disbelief when he saw her standing in front of him. The eyes which usually held only sorrow were round and full of alarm. His hand went to the lightsaber at his belt.

She felt the danger keenly and could only imagine what went through his mind as he stared at her, breathing hard. He probably thought it was a trick, or that he had lost his mind. Neither was a pleasant conclusion that bode well for her.

Rey had to bite the inside of her cheek to keep silent while Skywalker fought the fight/flight impulse. She was the last person he had expected to see, ever. Rey could relate. She watched him calmly and cataloged everything she saw. It had been some time since they had shared a dream together. More than two years.

Skywalker’s Jedi robes were in pristine condition, but the same could not be said about their owner. He looked tired and worn out, hair unkempt, beard too long – both streaked with silver. What made Rey pause was, however, the absence of his presence.

She blinked slowly. She could not feel him. Not that Rey was now an expert on all things connected to the Force, but once the Force within her had awakened, it was just there – constantly in the back of her mind. She had been able to feel Kylo Ren and General Organa. She was even aware of where her borrowed lightsaber was when she had not it with her, and she sometimes got a hunch where her friends were on the base. With Skywalker, it was if the space in front of her was empty.

“Rey?” he asked eventually, almost timidly. Rey heaved a sigh of relief when his posture relaxed. “Oh, I was so certain I was awake. What are you doing here? I thought that those dreams stopped.”

Now he looked utterly confused. That made two of them. Rey had no idea how to approach this. He was Luke Skywalker, for Force sake, and Rey was the only one aware of how damaged the legendary hero had become.

“I’m afraid not.”

“Excuse me?”

“I’m afraid that neither of us is dreaming.”

Skywalker only blinked at her and Rey took a fortifying breath and stepped closer. Very carefully, she unfastened the lightsaber and offered it to him.

“I came across this, and I thought I would return it to you. It’s built for someone much taller than me, you see. I keep destroying the flooring.”

He blinked again, rapidly. “That’s a lightsaber. My father’s lightsaber.”

“I know.”

“I never told you anything about my family.”

“Not even your name, Master Skywalker.”

He started and took a quick step back, his face darkening. “No, I certainly did not tell you my name. Rey, this is becoming bizarre. I think it would be best for you to go.”

Rey wisely took a step back, too. He thought it was all a dream again, didn’t he? That complicated things a bit. Could he not sense her presence? That should be enough to make him see. What had he done to himself? Had he cut himself from the Force? Could he still help the Resistance or teach her in any capacity? Immediately after the idea entered her mind, she felt ashamed, selfish. She wasn’t there to exploit the man, and Force knew that Skywalker had paid his dues the first time around. Still, the doubt lingered.

Rey knew that Skywalker’s exile was connected to the rise of the First Order, to the destruction of the Jedi Academy and turning of Ben Solo to the Dark Side. However, she would not believe that someone like him would allow evil to break him. It wasn’t like the Luke Skywalker she had heard about as a child, and it definitely was not like the man she had come to know.

Her ‘imaginary’ friend was kind and compassionate and stronger than he knew. As Rey thought these thoughts, another piece clicked into its place, and she sucked in a breath sharply. Could it be?

Skywalker frowned and worry flashed in his eyes as he approached her again. “I did not mean it like you are unwelcome. It’s good to see you, of course. It’s just… It’s been almost three years.”

With a pang, Rey realized that he had kept count. She had been in contact with others during that time. Most of those encounters had hardly been pleasant, that’s for sure, but she had not been deprived of basic human (and non-human) interaction. She had made real friends, too. Skywalker had been alone. Perhaps the absence of the shared dreams had only damaged his already fragile mind further.

“It’s been too long but honestly, I have no idea how these Force connections work.” Rey put the lightsaber back to its place and then reached out a hand towards him. The easy familiarity of the dreams was gone – going for an embrace felt like too much, too soon.

Skywalker blinked yet again and took her hand between both of his. The metal of his artificial right hand felt cold, and Rey wondered what went through his mind as the observed hers. He traced the lines on her palm next and then gazed back into her face. “Force connections?”

She nodded solemnly. He dropped her palm at once, and a new wave of alarm entered his eyes. Rey could see how he connected the dots, too, how the reality of the situation finally reached him. His face blanked, resembling a smooth, cool mask, his eyes hardened into two shards of ice.

“Who are you?”

“Ray from Jakku but you already know that.”

“No. No! Who are you? What are you? Why did you come?”

Rey startled at the questions, surprised at the anger in his voice. She did not feel anything from him like every other time she had stood before Skywalker, and it was a disconcerting notion. Their emotions were their own now.

“You know that, too.”

They stared at each other, and Rey desperately wished to make this right. It was horrible – not only for him but also for her. It was one thing to reveal so much of oneself to a person created by your imagination, it was something completely different showing those fractured parts to a real person. Skywalker knew her like no one else did like no one else could and she knew him just as thoroughly. They had shared dreams and feelings for years, for Force sake!

She knew the signs of approaching breakdown, too; Skywalker was breathing hard, blinking in rapid succession, fisted his hands as the first tremors shook his frame. It wasn’t the first time, and it wasn’t the last, and it had always been awful to see, to feel. Not that Rey had remained to witness the worst of it. Skywalker’s emotions had had to cut the connection in those times, before the poisonous sense of betrayal, hurt and anger could envelop her fully.

“Please.” The word slipped out before she could stop it. Rey reached towards him one more time and touched his arm. “Please, Master Skywalker…”

“Do not call me that.” He flinched and bowed his head, facing away from her. Yet he stayed standing where he was, grounded by the contact. It felt the same yet different, more solid, warmer.

“Alright. Is there a place where we can talk?”

The question was not unfamiliar. Many of their previous conversations had started or ended with Rey’s curious ‘is there a place where we can…?’ and Rey could see how it affected him, slowly dispelling the approaching storm of Skywalker’s darker, more dangerous emotions. Weren’t Jedi Knights, let alone Masters, supposed to be above all those things?

He watched her intensely for long moments, and Rey noticed that he had begun mimicking her breathing pattern. In and out, slowly, steadily.

“Why did you come? What do you want from me?” His voice was surprisingly calm, only slight hitch near the end betrayed him.

Answering that was simple and it made wonderful sense. Rey skimmed the sleeve of his robe and touched his hand, the left one, gently squeezing his fingers with hers. The Force wanted her to come here, to find him. Why? She was a fledgling Jedi, a passable fighter with a staff, satisfactory pilot. She had no family and only a handful of friends. She didn’t have much to recommend herself – but she had always been damn good at fixing things.

“This is where I am supposed to be.”


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey has her work really cut out for her.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you again for all those wonderful responses and kudos, and I hope you'll all enjoy the next chapter as much as I enjoyed writing it.

“Don’t fool yourself, Rey. The Force never plays an active part in the galaxy.” Skywalker whispered, and she could feel how his fingers twitched as if he wanted to squeeze her hand. “It is a passive entity, emotionless, unmoved by the happenings in the universe, content to simply be. It’s us who are searching for a deeper meaning in its manifestations. Let me tell you, there’s none.”

“You are the expert.” Rey conceded with a shrug, sensing they would have to revisit this topic much later. She could almost taste the unpleasant taste of his bitterness towards the Force, sharp and poignant. His brows furrowed and Rey quickly continued.

“I just like the island, the ocean. It’s beautiful. And you are here, and you are real. I don’t need any other reasons to be here, Mas-“ she stopped in time and gave him a small sheepish grin, willing him to believe this at least. Did he understand what she was trying to say? Rey wasn’t sure herself. She believed in the Force and saw this situation in an entirely different light than Skywalker.

She hadn’t thought it possible to have a destiny, a meaning, be someone who mattered. Yet here she was, learning that something so much bigger than her had led her to a man who needed Rey’s help before he could go and save the rest of the galaxy. It was a heavy burden for a girl from Jakku to carry, and she tried very hard to suppress the accompanying feelings of utter terror.

Why me? That was the question Rey wanted to ask, like so many before had, but she thought better of it. Why not? She liked to do nice things for people who were important to her and Skywalker had been the person closest to her for most of Rey’s life. Knowing he was real, how could she refuse to help? It was inconceivable to leave the island, to turn her back to the Force – to let her _friend_ suffer so.

Skywalker stared at her for a long time, and Rey was unable to read his expression. A rather large part of her was happy she could not feel his emotions because his eyes were filled with pain so acute she expected him to keel over. Hesitantly, he squeezed her fingers back.

Then his eyes darted around almost nervously, and he let go of Rey’s hand, passing her and heading towards the stairs. “The wind’s picking up. Come, or we’ll be blown off the cliff.”

“That doesn’t sound like a pleasant experience, Master Skywalker.” Rey jogged after him. He certainly didn’t move like a man his age – even though Rey was not entirely certain how old Skywalker actually was. “Oh-uuumph!”

He stopped abruptly, and Rey crashed right into his back, bracing herself against his shoulder blades.

“I remember telling you not to call me that,” he said, voice tight, and Rey caught only a glimpse of his face when he cast a glance at her over his shoulder. She could feel how he tensed under her palms. “I’m no one’s master.”

“Alright.” Rey nodded and quickly lowered her hands as if burnt. “But how can I call you, then?”

“I don’t think we need to cover that, Rey. It was nice of you to visit, but you are not staying here much longer.” His voice changed, sounding completely void of emotions, detached and empty. It felt wrong – she had never heard him use a tone like that.

He started to walk down, without another word, without turning when Rey shouted, “What? No! Wait! Come back!”

Damn the man, _he_ was the one jogging down the stairs now to lengthen the distance between them while Rey slipped and stumbled after him on the moss-covered stones. The most painful memory of her childhood echoed in the back of her mind, the same words, the same feeling. _Wait. Come back_.

When Rey made it down the cliff, the suns were setting, and there was no trace of Master Skywalker. She hated the stairs, the moss. Who would have guessed how something so nicely green could be so slippery.

Rey sent a message to Chewie not to worry and not to wait for her with dinner, or at all. Then she spent almost half an hour looking for the hidden path leading to the several small stone huts on the leeward part of the island. She wasn’t that helpless child anymore and walking away from her did not mean the conversation was over.

After another ten minutes, she found Skywalker’s dwelling. She knew which hut was his – it was the only one with a roof and walls which he had painstakingly repaired with his own hands. Light poured of the single small window near the door.

Rey took a deep breath and knocked.

No response.

She knocked louder.

Then she knocked with her boot, the door rattling in its hinges.

“Go away.”

“No!”

“I said, go away! What part of that do you not understand?”

“Well, I don’t plan on going anywhere!”

She didn’t remember him being this stubborn. Rey hit the door one last time and marched a few steps away from the hut. She felt as if she should be more respectful, more mindful with whom she was talking. However, for Rey, he was not some unreachable legend, not even her teacher who deserved respect by default. For Rey, whose nerves had suffered several terrible shocks in a very short span of time, he was just unreasonable, and it made her blood boil.

Force, they had not even broached the subject of the Resistance or her training. Had she mentioned that she was Force-sensitive enough to have Kylo Ren offering her an apprentice position? Rey wasn’t sure.

There was a stone bench close to the hut, and Rey made her way to it walking backward, sitting down tiredly, and all the while burning holes through that door with her eyes. She could take it off the hinges, she knew she could. There was enough frustration bubbling under her skin to probably level the whole hut to the ground. Then again, from the little scraps she had gathered, the Jedi did not act in anger – that could lead them dangerously close to the Dark Side.

Rey’s eyes widened, and she gasped, her hand coming up to cover the mouth.

Anger. Pain. Fear. The Dark Side.

How tempting it was for Rey to knock on Skywalker’s door with the Force because she was a little frustrated with him? The thought had entered her mind, and what was worse, she knew that using the bit of anger as fuel for it was easy. Almost natural.

Those emotions were very close to the surface in him. How tempting it was for Skywalker to use the betrayal of his nephew as fuel for revenge? Not because someone had not opened a door, but because someone had murdered every single one of his students, burnt down his home, destroyed his family and thrown the whole galaxy into chaos.

Rey shivered and turned away from the hut, pulling her knees close to her chest and mentally preparing herself for an uncomfortable night.

The darkness fell. The temperature dropped. The door stayed closed.

-

When the dream comes, Rey is aware of its true nature. The emotions are enough to squeeze a gasp out of her, and she fights for breath, trying to not choke on the remorse. Slowly, she rises from the bench and opens the door.

Skywalker is sitting there in semi-darkness. The fire went out, and only glowing embers remain, painting him in harsh red and orange colors. He is hunched over near the fireplace, hands clasped tightly between his knees, head bowed, staring at nothing.

The guilt is suffocating. How can one man feel so much without being crushed by the weight of those emotions?

“Hey.”

“Come and sit. It’s cold outside.” He doesn’t – can’t – look at her. Rey doesn’t hesitate and flops down on the floor next to him, seeking the lingering warmth of the fire. It really is cold outside, almost freezing. She idly wonders about the island’s weather. The afternoon was pleasant, but most of her memories hold an undercurrent of ever-present chill in the air.

She observes his profile, the deep lines carved into his face, the defeated look in his eyes. She finds herself wanting to reach out to him as she has done countless times before but Rey stops herself. It feels too intrusive now she knows the truth. Outside of this dream, Skywalker shies from contact, and she will respect that.

“Don’t.”

“What am I doing?”

“Do not look at me like that.”

Rey feels the urge to cry, but she also knows that Skywalker will not. It has always been her who shed the tears without really understanding why she felt in such a way. Her own heart is breaking with the knowledge, and it is so damn uncomfortable. The last thing she wants is for Skywalker to feel how much his heartache hurts her. He can interpret it as pity, and Rey has a feeling that Skywalker wouldn’t stand that. She doubts they can lie to each other, sharing emotions effectively cancels that, but they still can misunderstand and misinterpret the feelings, or omit the truth.

“Like what?”

“Like it’s alright, Rey. It’s not. I-” he clears his throat and covers his eyes with his good hand. The guilt, the shame, the fear accumulated over the years are too much for one person to feel. He has to let go. “I’m sorry.”

“I know.” On its own accord, Rey’s hand rises and gently rests on his forearm, pulling his hands away to see his face. “I can’t help I look at you like it’s alright, you know. For me, it is – no harm done.”

“No harm done?” Skywalker repeats incredulously and turns to Rey. A humorless chuckle forces its way out of his mouth, and he shakes his head. “How can you say that? Don’t you see? I have ruined _everything_ I have ever touched.”

“You haven’t.” Returning his gaze without blinking, she curls her fingers around his forearm. He doesn’t shy away this time, only stares at her as if he is seeing her for the first time. In some ways, this really is their first meeting.

Rey can feel when he starts pushing those gut-wrenching emotions away because their oppressive weight slowly lifts and eventually disappears, leaving them – him – just tired and empty. Rey lets it go for the moment. His guilt is one of the many things they will need to deal with in the future but now is not the time.

“I’m sorry I didn’t open the door,” he says suddenly, and a fresh wave of his shame washed over them, quickly followed by a spike of anger directed at himself, not Rey. “That was very rude of me.”

“It’s fine,” Rey assures him and lets go of his arm. “You were upset and so was I. It’s probably a good thing we didn’t talk.”

“No, Rey, it’s unforgivable.” Skywalker rises and goes to the other end of the hut where his cot is. He tugs at the blanket and brings it to her, throwing it over her shoulders without meeting Rey’s eyes. “I’ve left you outside.”

“I’ve endured far, far worse, you know.” Rey shrugs. She really doesn’t understand why he is getting so emotional over the little disagreement. It is nothing major, and they apparently got over it – at least Rey hopes so because she is not leaving the island anytime soon.

“Yes, exactly!” Skywalker slowly sits back down. With his gaze averted to the fireplace, he reaches for Rey’s hand. The movement is quick and decisive, but his touch feels like a brush of a feather – as if he reached for her before he could think better of it and then gave her enough space to pull away.

Rey doesn’t, only observes him with curiosity.

“I am well aware of that. I was there when you were hungry and cold, discarded by those who had no longer any use for you. I remember… well,” he says almost inaudibly. “Even if my mind tried to convince me it was not real, I remember wishing to be able to help you so you would never go another night without food and a warm hearth, thinking you didn’t matter.”

Something warm flutters around them, tentative and caring – like a gentle breeze caressing sunburned skin. Rey furiously blinks several times. Skywalker stares straight ahead, holding her hand loosely in his, breathing heavily.

“I am so very sorry for not opening the door, Rey.” He turns to look at her and Rey finds herself gazing into a pair of familiar eyes filled with regret. Even in the reddish glow of the dying embers, they are still so very blue – like the ocean surrounding the island. He’s not the Jedi Master Skywalker, the Rebellion war hero and the last hope of the Resistance. He is her oldest friend. It’s time to start acting like it.

“It’s alright, Luke,” Rey says and smiles, knowing he can feel her sincerity when the hold on her hand becomes firmer. All is well, at least for now.

-

When Rey opened her eyes in the morning, she found herself wrapped in a warm blanket and a long cloak smelling faintly of leather and something light and sweet. She was curled on the cot inside of Luke’s hut, and daylight was streaming in through the window.

That was unexpected and Rey didn’t have a clue how it had happened. Then the door opened, and the answer walked in, carrying inside two large canisters of water. Luke had discarded the Jedi robes and wore a dark tunic and trousers with his lightsaber hanging from the broad leather belt.

“Oh, good morning.” He nodded her way and set the water down. His face was carefully neutral as he observed her. Rey watched as he clasped his hands behind his back and looked at as if he was bracing himself to face a firing squad of Stormtroopers. He was unsure of where they stood, and it calmed Rey considerably. Her people skills weren’t the best, and his were obviously rusty after all those years of exile.

“Hello, Luke,” she chirped. It was going to be a good day, she thought.

He started slightly at her using his given name but then his eyes smiled – only for a moment, something sparked in those blue depths and twinkled at her before the ever-present cloud of grief returned.

“Are you hungry?” he said next and busied himself rummaging through the hut, looking for cooking utilities. “Of course you are – well. You are lucky because I am the only one in the entire galaxy who can make an Ahch-To algae salad.”

“Algae?”

“Seaweed. It’s very healthy.”

There was a beat of silence and Luke glanced at her. Seeing her puzzled expression, he added, “Fish for dinner, don’t worry. I know I don’t make the best first impressions, but I am not _that_ mean.”

“I’ll eat whatever you set in front of me.” Rey hopped from the cot and folded the blanket, putting his cloak carefully on top of it. “Who knows? Maybe I’ll like Ahch-To seaweed.”

“I am rather concerned by the level of trust you put in me, Rey.”

The playfulness of the previous exchange disappeared and when Rey turned to look at Luke. He stood stock still, face serious, holding two wooden bowls tightly in his grasp, his knuckles white. His eyes searched Rey’s face as he asked, “Why?”

He was unable to comprehend it, and Rey wondered what would it take to make him see himself through her eyes. There was no doubt that he had made mistakes and that he was far from the Jedi ideal everyone thought him to be but Rey hated to think about how he viewed himself – just the fact that he believed he had to live apart from everybody was alarming. Then there were the moments when he had gone swimming, or rock climbing to better see the stars. Looking back to those memories, Rey’s heart broke all over again. How he could not see?

He wouldn’t believe her if she told him how she thought of him. Human, fractured, honest, compassionate, and caring – but most of all, brave for living another, and another, and another day, struggling under the burned which was not only his to carry.

“You were always kind to me. If not you, who else?” Rey said casually and went closer to him. The urge to shake him until he would see sense was strong. Rey opted for putting her arms around his shoulders in a cautious, open hug. She stepped away quickly before Luke could even take a surprised breath.

“Now, you promised me a salad. I can’t wait to taste it.” Seeing the frown on his face, she added, “After breakfast, we can talk some more.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I wonder if the meaning behind swimming and rock climbing isn’t too much OOC, and when I think about that, I feel awful for doing this to Luke because it needs to be there. Good thing Rey plans to stick around and move from hand-holding to hugging as soon as possible. Let me know what you think, guys :)


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tissues at hand, please, because Rey comes to a decision.

Rey liked Ahch-To seaweed salad even if it wasn’t much more than a clump of brownish-green grass Luke had fished out of the ocean. It tasted a little salty and prickled when she bit into it; after she had finished eating, Rey couldn’t get the feeling off her tongue. Still, it was fresh food, and that was a luxury, so she wasn’t going to complain. So far, Rey always liked the food she tried. Everything tasted better than the portions from Plutt’s miserable stockpile.

They had been silent through the meal ad they were sitting in the same uncomfortable silence for several minutes now. Rey watched the light of the twin suns struggle through the newly formed thick barrier of clouds above them while Luke stared at the empty bowl in his hands, completely lost in his own thoughts.

“I don’t actually know what to say,” she sighed. Her words seemed to startle Luke, and he turned to her quickly. It took him a second to realize he had a company who wasn’t a figment of his imagination.

“I’m sorry.” He blinked as he tried to shake off whatever dark thoughts were plaguing him. “You were saying?”

He wasn’t making it any easier for her, was he? How was she supposed to tell why she had come? How could she even think about asking him to return to the Resistance? Rey just looked at him with wide eyes, her face reflecting the uncertainty.

“It’s alright, Rey,” said Luke and his expression softened. It wasn’t quite a smile, but it was enough to ease her nervousness. “You can tell me.”

“It’s about why I am here.” Rey met his gaze hesitatingly and suppressed the impulse to jump up and pace around.

“Okay.” Luke nodded and set the bowl aside, giving her his full attention. The tension in him was apparent; he sat straighter and braced himself for what was to come. She could see the walls coming up. “Go on, fire at will.”

“I never thought I would find you here – I didn’t know who you were,” Rey started cautiously. She really didn’t wish to ruin their morning. She didn’t want to bring back painful memories. Yesterday, she had forgotten about all the reasons she had searched for Master Skywalker and focused only on her friend Luke. Rey knew she couldn’t do it any longer. There was a war, and people were dying, and she had her duty. She owned it to Poe and Finn and all the fighters who risked their lives every minute of every day.

And yet, Rey wanted to focus on Luke first. Had anyone ever done that for him? Put his wellbeing first before duty and destiny? Probably not. Luke himself wouldn’t have allowed that. She could only imagine that he would do what was right no matter the personal cost. Well, Rey had a problem with that – she could never ask Luke to suffer more for the greater good. Not him, after what she had seen. It could very well cost him his sanity and life, and she wasn’t prepared for that.

“I know.” Seeing the conflict clearly written all over Rey’s face, Luke gathered his resolve, took a deep breath and reached for her hand. “You were looking for Skywalker the Jedi. That means someone found the map and sent you. There are only two reasons why would anyone tried to find me – either kill the last living Jedi and end eons-long tradition, plunging the galaxy into Darkness for the next millennium… or to convince me to rejoin the fight. Seeing that I’m not dead, I can only assume it was my sister who sent you. Am I right?”

Rey fought the urge to cover her face as the blush blossomed on her cheeks. Of course, he could connect the dots quite fine. He had left the map for them to find after all.

“Yes.”

Luke sandwiched her hand between his palms, the metal of his artificial limb cool against Rey’s skin. After a moment, he patted her hand. “So go on, ask me.”

It was the resigned tone that sealed Rey’s decision. He sounded like he was planning to come back, like he didn’t have a choice in the matter – and perhaps he didn’t. She could relate – how any good person could sit idly by while the evil of the First Order spread across the stars, consuming one free world after another? She understood him but…

Luke had exiled himself for a reason. Rey didn’t know why, only suspected, but she knew for certain that he wasn’t even remotely prepared to return to the ugly realities of war, to confront his demons in the places where they had been born. She wouldn’t let him do that to himself.

“No.” Rey was unhappy how her voice sounded and sniffed a little, shaking her head vehemently.

“Excuse me?”

When she looked at him, Luke’s expression was stunned.

“I won’t,” she said with more conviction. “You’re right. I was looking for Luke Skywalker to convince him to return to the Resistance with us but as I said, I’ve found you.”

“Quite a disappointment I turned out to be.”

“Of course not!” Rey gasped out, both angry and shocked at his matter-of-factly assessment of himself.

“No?” he smiled grimly, his eyes darkening to the color of the cloudy sky. “Let’s look at the great Luke Skywalker, the hero of the New Republic, Grandmaster of the New Jedi order – oh, yes, wait. There’s no New Jedi Order, no New Republic because he allowed them to be destroyed while he did nothing, too weak to act in time and too pathetic to stay and fight.”

Rey felt the tears sting her eyes and quickly stood up. She wasn’t sure why she was crying, that was such a useless thing to do, but she could not help it. The emotions just bubbled inside of her and pushed the tears out. Part of it was anger at the unfairness of it all, at him for thinking that and at her for not being there sooner.

“Stop it!” she shouted and took a few steps away from him. “That’s just wrong, and I won’t listen to you degrading yourself like that!”

“Well, it’s true.”

Rey clenched her jaws and suppressed the urge to hit him over his head with the nearest blunt object. Maybe then he would see more sense, stupid, stubborn man… and then she gaped.

A porg smashed to the side of Luke’s head and sent him tumbling from the rock on which he had been sitting. She didn’t know if these creatures were able to fly or not, but the reason why that particular animal did that became apparent in the next moment.

“AAAARGH!”

“Chewie!” Rey had completely forgotten about him. She went to help Luke from the ground, all the while watching the massive Wookiee as he stomped toward them. By the look of it, he had spent most of the morning trying to find them and was not amused.

The poor porg gave them all a wounded look and hopped away.

“Chewie,” said Luke calmly and rubbed his head, sitting on the grass. “I understand you are angry at me but please, do not use the native fauna as weapons.”

“I’m so sorry I forgot to message you, really!” Rey offered her hand to Luke and heaved him to his feet. Without much thinking about it, she brushed aside the hair on his temple and probed at the small scratch there. “Looks like porg’s beak is sharper than it looks.”

Luke cleared his throat and stepped away with a quick, “Ah, yes, thank you, Rey, I’m fi-”

Only to be promptly sent flying back to the ground when a furry fist connected with his chin.

“Chewbacca!” Rey shouted and jumped between them. “What are you doing? Stop it, damn it! Has everyone lost their mind?!”

“AAARGH!” He just shrugged.

“No, I won’t get out of your way so you can pummel him a bit more.” She put her palm on Chewie’s chest in an attempt to calm him down. “Nothing that happened is his fault!”

“That’s alright, Rey,” Luke spoke from somewhere behind her, and by the sound of it, he managed to get to his feet again. “Please, step back so we can-“

“AAAAAARRRRGH! AARGH!”

Everything stilled. Chewie stopped trying to come around Rey. She felt numbness spread through her body, from somewhere deep in her chest to the very tips of her fingers as her hand fell down and she blinked a new wave of tears away. Luke gasped, and she heard a thump as he went down when his knees gave in.

“Han? No, that’s… Han’s dead? Ho-how?”

Rey didn’t want to face him at that moment. She didn’t need to feel his emotions, the pain and disbelief, and grief; they bled from his voice and went straight through her heart. She turned anyway as Chewie stepped around her and knelt next to Luke, enveloping him in a massive hug as he sorrowfully keened.

Even as the air was being squeezed out of him, Luke’s eyes were trained on Rey, silently pleading her to say it was not true. She couldn’t hold his gaze and quickly averted her face, staring at the horizon where the ocean touched the sky.

A flash of red, a strangled cry. The fall, the long fall from the bridge… She shuddered.

“Kylo Ren.” The name was ripped from her lips and wind carried it away, over the water, but she knew Luke had heard her. From the corner of her eye, she saw him struggling to stand and pushing Chewie away. Then he sprang to his feet. He fought for breath for a moment, looking wild and on the verge of another breakdown, staring straight at her as if she had been personally responsible for Han’s death. Then he took off.

“Aaargh?”

“No, we’re not going after him now.” Rey watched Luke as he ran down the path until he disappeared from her sight, tears gently flowing down her cheeks. He probably needed time and solitude. That’s what he was used to, that’s how he dealt with pain.

Chewie flung his arm around her shoulder and brought her to his side as he also turned to watch the horizon. They stood there for a few long moments. Above them, the wind dispersed the clouds, and the mid-morning sunlight warmed the air. Inside, Rey felt nothing but ice.

-

Rey runs. She can’t breathe, her lungs are on fire, and her heartbeat thrums in her ears. If she stops, she’s dead. She can hear him behind her, the stumping of heavy boots, the angry hiss of a terrifying red blade.

“Scavenger!” A voice distorted by a mask shouts. “Stop running, stop hiding! It’s pointless! Do you hear me? Stop!”

She hears him, the monster with a pretty face and a black heart. Will he hunt her forever?

“You need a teacher!”

They’re back on the Starkiller. Rey runs in the knee-deep snow, dead trees line the path. She’s so afraid. He will catch her. He will pry Luke’s location from her, leaving her mind a shattered mess.

She cries out when she loses her footing. There’s ice under the snow. Rey falls.

Ren is close. When he sees her on the ground, he slows to a walk. “My, my, it seems I have caught you.”

“Not yet!” Rey springs up at the same time he raises his hand. The Force hold suspends her mid-jump.

He returns the saber back to his belt and then carefully removes his helmet and carries it under his arm as he approaches her. There’s a lazy smile on his face, his dark eyes hungrily trained on her.

He will break her. She feels it; his wants send ripples through the Force. He will stop at nothing until she is an obedient puppet. Until her only purpose in life is to serve the Supreme Leader.

“I will show you the power of Darkness, and you will _love_ it.”

“Never!” she screams so loudly her voice breaks.

“Oh yes. I will have you kill that traitor – and the pilot. I will have you destroy the Resistance… and you will do it gladly.”

Only a hoarse whisper comes out next. “Never.”

“You will submit,” Ren smirks as he comes to stand in front of Rey, reaching for his weapon. “Or you will die.”

She can’t do anything, she’s helpless as she watches him bring the red monstrosity high above his head. The lightsaber goes down slowly, so very slowly… and collides with a blazing green blade.

“It’s only a bad dream, Rey,” Luke says as he puts his left arm around her to steady her. He extinguishes his lightsaber in a heartbeat, turning his back to the quickly dispersing apparition of Kylo Ren, blocking her from the dark-clad figure. Rey’s vision is filled with the blue of his kind eyes, and the world crashes down around her.

He swiftly catches her in his arms when the nightmare ends and her knees buckle, bringing her to his chest as sobs wrack Rey’s body. Their mingled relief that it was only a nightmare is palpable, but her distress and fear don’t dissipate and steal her of any rational thought.

Gently, he lowers them to the ground while the snow melts away. She cries as she hasn’t cried in years, face buried in the dark fabric of Luke’s tunic, fingers curling in the hem of his cloak. Rey turns her head slightly so she can listen to the steady beat of his heart and breathes in the smell of rain, leather and something light and sweet. His right hand is pressed against Rey’s back, holding her close to him, while the fingers of his left hand skim the skin of Rey’s neck lightly and then draw a small comforting circle between her shoulder blades.

She feels something hot fall on her cheek, but Luke is otherwise silent.

Time slows around them, and Rey has no idea how long it takes until she can’t cry anymore. Long moments after her breathing is calm and all of her tears has already soaked Luke’s tunic, he holds her, drawing strange little patterns on her back.

“What has he done to you, Rey?” Luke asks in a gravelly voice eventually. The sadness in it makes her shift. Luke immediately stiffens and starts retracting his arms, but Rey doesn’t pull away; she just wraps hers around his waist with a sigh and waits until he relaxes again.

She thinks she is like a needy child but knows the gesture offers him as much comfort as it provides to her. He is shaken by what he saw in her dream, and Rey can only guess how he spent the afternoon and how he dealt with the news of Han’s death.

She holds onto him tightly when she whispers, “Should I start at the beginning?”

“That is the usual place but start wherever you like.”

“It was all about your map, Luke,” she says slowly. “A BB unit with a part of it crashed into my life, and since then, I’ve never stopped running.”

“Oh, Rey, I’m so-”

“I’m not.” Rey moves a little, quite displeased when Luke’s hold around her shoulders loosens yet again. She shifts a bit more and wiggles under his arm, catching his hand in hers. Her head rests on his chest, and Rey then pushes them both to lie on the grass so she can look at the stars. They have watched them multiple times during the years, sometimes on Jakku outside of Rey’s AT-AT, sometimes on cliffs on the island.

He huffs but clasps her hand more firmly, putting his right arm behind his head. Being close is easier through the Force dream; the barriers between them are almost nonexistent and ignored. They watch the night sky as they used to and Rey can feel a wave of contentment sweep over them, but there’s an undercurrent of curiosity disturbing the fragile peace.

“You were telling me how you’re not sorry that I have ruined your life with my map,” he says after a few more minutes.

Rey wants to punch him but is too comfortable to move, so she braves this battle with all she has instead. Perhaps she will never have another opportunity to speak with Luke so freely.

“You know I didn’t have a good life. I was alone, hungry most of the time, and I feared for my life quite often. Death on Jakku is an everyday occurrence, just one wrong move during scavenging, or you get sick, or you just don’t have enough water, and it’s over. The only difference now is that I know what I fear the most. It’s terrifying, more than I can express, but it makes me braver. I have someone to fight for. When BB appeared, I’ve started to live. How can I regret it if the map led me to the Resistance where I made friends for the first time in my life? It started me on a path I know I have always been meant to walk. The first steps led me to Finn, Han, and Chewie, to the lightsaber, to the Resistance and now to you. I have always been meant to meet you, Luke.”

“I don’t believe the Force could be so cruel as to fling you in my path of destruction,” Luke chokes out. Rey raises her head to look at him, but he has his eyes tightly shut, face bearing an expression of acute pain. His disbelief and self-loathing seeps through their connection, and Rey struggles to free herself from their poisonous hold.

“I have always been meant to meet him, too,” she forces out. The negative emotions abate, and she feels Luke’s shock.

“For comparison between the Dark and Light Side, I think. He offered to teach me the ways of the Force,” Rey says and is immediately flooded with Luke’s horror. He looks at her and something in him is breaking, but it’s not the usual pain she knows so well.

“I refused,” Rey says softly, and Luke inhales sharply and holds his breath. She just wills him to understand and puts her hand on the spot where her head rested only moments ago, over his beating heart. “I had already found my teacher in someone else, a good man.”

“I can’t teach you what my nephew offered, Rey.” Luke’s voice is strangled, and with every word, the strange new kind of pain grows, mixed with disappointment and a dash of anger that morphs quickly into contempt directed – at him. He blinks and sits abruptly when he senses her confusion.

“Why not?”

“I can’t access the Force.” Luke shields his eyes with the good hand and turns his back to her. “When the Temple burnt, I cut myself from the Force in fear that… that I would… I was so angry that it was safer. I still am. Having access to my abilities would make me dangerous.”

Rey lets wave after wave of heartache wash over her and swallows their tears. She can’t see his face but knows Luke tries his best to push them back. She watches the line of his shoulders, the angle at which he bows his head and _sees_ him.

“Look at me.” She crawls on her knees in front of him and forces him to face her, putting both of her hands on his shoulders. “I’m going to tell you something. Are you listening to me?”

He is stunned, backed into a corner. His eyes are begging to stay silent, not to torment him anymore. Rey can’t do that. He needs to understand.

“Luke Skywalker,” she says with conviction. “You are the bravest, strongest man I know and you are a good person. You have done great things, but you know what? You are just a man, and you are allowed to make mistakes and you are damned well allowed to live in peace. That’s what you deserve. That’s what I want for you. The Resistance existed without the Jedi before and will continue to do so for as long as it will be needed. The galaxy will find a new hero. It doesn’t have to be you. Do you understand? You have paid your dues. I’m not here to drag you back or because I want you to teach me. That’s not why the Force brought us together.”

“Why do you think we’re connected, then?” Bright blue eyes brimming with tears are staring at Rey in wonder. The feeling of tentative _hope_ emanating from him almost breaks her. How the universe has failed him. Is this how the galaxy treats its heroes? No more.

“So we are not alone.” They’re not, of course, not in the physical sense. They both have their friends and family, but none of them can understand what it means to be a Force-sensitive; how the power within moves and shifts and grows, and how scary it is. Rey understands. Perhaps when there was the old Jedi Order, things were different, but now? They are the last Light users left.

Then Luke bends his head, and Rey guides him closer. This time, it is her who offers comfort as great sobs shake his body, his face resting in the crook of Rey’s neck and her arms wound around his shoulders and back, shielding him against all the Darkness in the galaxy.

The warmth of their feeling washes over them, endless, powerful, and deep like an ocean. Rey closes her eyes, floating with the emotion, and smiles into the night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I’ve been thinking about a series of one-shot Luke/Rey fics where our darling couple acts out the stories of certain songs. Who is your favorite band/interpret? Which song? I’m considering Ed Sheeran for a start. Good idea? Bad? It’s basically just an excuse to bring them into a modern setting, you know…


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke makes a monumental step forward and deserves a group hug.

Luke appeared the next day quite late in the afternoon. Rey and Chewie had been preparing the Falcon for the Wookiee’s return to the Resistance, which mostly consisted of getting rid of the porgs that had found their way in and repairing the small damages their attempts to nestle onboard had caused.

She saw him first as he stopped at the top of the steps leading to their improvised airstrip. Her eyes quickly skimmed over him – even from the distance between them she could see he looked awful but was unharmed. Upon making sure nothing bad had happened to Luke, Rey smiled brightly, her whole face lighting up. She had been worried and waved with as much enthusiasm as the animals she was carrying allowed. The armful of porgs squealed with delight at the motion. “Hey, Luke! Come help us!”

He raised his hand and returned the gesture with more moderation, making his way down.

“Hello, Rey. Hello, Chewie. What exactly are you trying to do?” There were deep shadows of exhaustion under his red-rimmed eyes, and the lines in his face appeared deeper as if someone had carved them with a blunt knife last night.

“Aaarghh, aaargh.”

“Oh, I see.” Luke nodded. His eyes darted between the two of them before settling on Rey, something unrecognizable flashing in them. He took a breath before asking, “When are you leaving?”

Rey frowned at the detached tone and thrust the porgs at him. “Chewie has to get back to the base as soon as he can. Now, I need to see to the hyperdrive. I think one of these little fellows somehow managed to squeeze in.”

He was doing it again, of course; the look in his eyes, the tone of his voice. He heard the ship was going back to the base and assumed that Rey was going with it. Of course, he expected to be tossed aside at the first opportunity. She didn’t have the patience to deal with that right now – not after spending the better part of her waking hours worrying about him. Rey needed a moment to herself otherwise she _would_ punch him this time.

She stomped all the way to the hyperdrive, grabbed the nearest tool – whatever it was – and busied herself with it. The space under the deck didn’t offer much room for movement, and she was too agitated to actually do something useful.

 “Could you stop hitting it?” Luke asked after several seconds, and Rey looked up at him. He stood in the doorway, looking baffled and a little wary.

“I’m not hitting it, I’m trying to get the stupid ball of feathers out!”

“What have I done or said to upset you?” Luke inched closer and knelt at the edge of the hyperdrive. His eyes were worried.

“Stop, just stop.”

“I’m sorry-”

“Will you just stop with that?!” Rey screamed and then buried her face in her hands in total embarrassment as Luke fell silent. She wasn’t like this, she knew that. Perhaps the emotions they were sending back and forth through the Force dreams were making her act this way. She certainly didn’t want to scream at him – Force, it was the last thing she wanted to do!

“Stop thinking everything is your fault. It’s not, and I can’t stand you always think that.”

“Alright.” The answer was delivered in a calm tone. When she peeked from between her fingers at him, Luke was serious, thoughtful.

“You do not disagree with me.” Rey blinked at him, stunned.

“I don’t.” His face remained solemn, but the expression in his eyes softened. “I don’t want to upset you, Rey. I hope you know that. That means I’ll try to… adjust. But I said something to make you angry, so tell me what it was.”

“It wasn’t anything you said…”

“Rey, tell me.”

“I just knew from one look at you what immediately went through your head. You thought I was going to hop on the ship and simply leave.”

“I shouldn’t be surprised you know me so well.”

“You should know me _better_.”

They stared at each other, Rey’s cheeks burning with all the blood that was pumping in her veins agitatedly. Luke seemed to be unruffled by their discussion, but she wasn’t fooled. This wasn’t any easier for him. Talking feelings outside of the Force connection felt different.

“It is a logical assumption,” he sighed. “I’m not getting slow in my old age, you know. When you were talking about the Resistance finding a new hero, I felt they had already found them in you.”

Rey gaped at him. That wasn’t what she had meant, she wasn’t anybody’s hero. Or was she? When the power within her had awakened, she had been scared. She had needed someone to show her Rey’s place in all of this… and here Luke was, telling Rey about how she fitted in the grander scheme of things and perhaps he was right. She was more inclined to listen to him than to Kylo Ren.

“How could I ever stand in your way, Rey?” Luke smiled, a painful thing to behold, and his left hand slowly rose, hovering close to her face. When his fingers gently brushed over her cheek, Rey had to suppress a shiver. They were warm and roughened, but the feeling was pleasant. “How could I be so selfish as to try to keep you from your destiny?”

“My destiny’s led me to you.” Rey’s answer was finite. She was not going to change her mind, not going to leave just because he thought she was better off somewhere else. She wasn’t.

“Good.” Luke chuckled, the sound resonating from deep within, and shook his head.

“Good? You agree with me again.”

“It appears so, doesn’t it? Now, budge up.”

Rey did as much as the limited room allowed while Luke lowered himself next to her, squeezing into the small service space of the hyperdrive without much difficulty. Neither of them was a particularly large person, and the physical closeness wasn’t as strange as Rey would have expected.

He smiled, turned and gently tapped the cooling unit with his good hand as Rey stared at him in wonder. He must have felt her eyes on him, before he whispered, “I spent the day thinking, you know. About everything.”

“Okay.” Rey leaned closer so she could hear him better. His voice was soft, and he glanced at her with bright eyes, his fingers still tapping on the unit. A muffled keening sounded from the inside.

“You have a great destiny awaiting you, Rey, even without the access to the Force I can see it. You will do things I wouldn’t even dream of… and you deserve so much better in life than what you’ve got so far. I grew up cared for and loved. Damn it, my father grew up cherished and surrounded by people who believed in him. The fact that you stand before me, so pure and light and good… You _inspire_ me.” Luke swallowed and exhaled loudly, determinedly staring straight ahead. “The least you deserve is a Master who could accompany you on your path, to guide and protect you. I don’t know if I can ever be a Master to a Padawan again, probably not, but… I will walk with you through fire and flames if that’s your wish. I will not let you face your destiny unprepared and by yourself.”

When Luke finished, he avoided looking at her and opened the unit. A shivering porg hopped into his outstretched palm and huddled into the sleeve of his robe. Glancing up at Rey, he said with a shy smile, “Here we are.”

Rey felt as if she couldn’t breathe, her heart was furiously pounding in her chest and tears threatened to spill from her eyes. She was well aware how monumental this moment was and how much it had taken from Luke to make the offer. Without any doubt, Rey knew where her place was in the universe – it was and always had been next to Luke, never Kylo Ren, never on Jakku. Everything had led her to him.

“Are… are you offering to come to the Resistance?” she asked in a small voice. She wasn’t sure it was a good idea. No, she was certain it was _not_. She didn’t want him to put her interests above his own wellbeing. Yet, the fact that he was willing to do so, for her, warmed Rey like a fluffy blanket wrapped around her shoulders when the temperatures dropped.

“Eventually.” His eyes clouded, dark thoughts entering his mind. Seeing her expression, Luke tried to smile and gave her the shivering ball of feathers. “Take the poor animal for a moment, will you? I suppose that returning to the Resistance is inevitable. You are not the type to abandon friends and I possibly couldn’t… But first, you need basic training – and I need time to adjust, as I’ve said. We can’t do that on a bustling base in a middle of a war.”

“Are you sure you want to be a part of that?” Rey couldn’t believe he was still offering.

“Yes. I won’t sit here on Ahch-To while you go off to save the galaxy. The connection goes both ways, Rey. I’m just asking for a little time for both of us to prepare.” He pulled himself out of the hyperdrive quickly and then turned, kneeling. Rey offered the porg for him to take so she could follow, but Luke reached for her instead. His hands gripped Rey’s waist gently, and he lifted her to the deck, setting her on her butt next to him.

“How does that sound?” he smiled and rubbed the porg on its head with his forefinger, raising his eyes to meet hers. The next moment, Luke was tackled to the floor and found himself with an armful of Rey who collided with him. “Oooph!”

The porg was safely kept out of harm’s way in her palm as she hugged her friend with her free arm and whispered, “Sounds absolutely perfect. Perfect!”

“I’m glad you think so; took me the whole night and most of the day to come up with such a brilliant plan. But there’s one problem.” Luke lifted his head from the ground to look at her. He seemed almost content, and if he felt at least a half of what Rey felt, she supposed he was.

“Only one?”

“Only one.” He paused. “With the winter coming soon, there won’t be enough time to make one of the other huts livable. I don’t even have the material needed, and I don’t think you would like to brave the elements without a roof over your head.”

Rey shuddered. On Jakku, winter had been a foreign concept. Days were hot and nights were freezing but here? She could not imagine Ahch-To’s winter. “Does it snow here?”

“Yes. The winters are short, but we are in for 40 or 50 days of freezing temperatures and lots of snow.”

“So, we’ll have to share your hut?”

“I’m afraid so.”

“That’s not so bad.”

“You say that now. I want to see you in a month’s time.” Luke’s head fell back with a thunk. For a Jedi Grandmaster, he wasn’t trying to act with much of dignity and Rey couldn’t help it. She liked this side of him, the playfulness hidden in him.

After a few more moments, the two of them got up and returned outside. Chewie was waiting for them patiently with a large flock of porgs trying to get back onboard.

“Aaaarg, aargh?” He was happy to see them.

“All set,” Rey said. “You are ready to go, I’ll just have to grab some stuff from the storage and gather my things.”

Both her friends offered to help. Chewie carried one of the cots from Falcon to the hut while Luke and Rey brought other supplies – warm blankets, clothes, the Resistance rations to sustain them if the need arose. When the sun was setting, Rey’s cot was placed across the hut from Luke’s, made up with blankets and pillows. The supplies were safely stored in Luke’s hidden storage boxes in one of the caves above the settlement together with an encrypted long-distance comm that was able to reach General Organa.

They came to see the Wookiee off after everything was set.

“Arrgh. Aaaaargggh. Arghhh.” Chewie hugged first Luke, and the man chuckled.

“Of course, I’ll see you soon,” he said, and then hesitated. “Tell my sister I will come when we are ready… and that I miss her, too.”

“Arghhhh. Aaaargh.” Rey came next, and she felt all the air leave her lungs when Chewie hugged her and lifted her in the air.

“Yes, yes! I’ll keep an eye on him, and no, I promise not to get kidnapped again! Say hi to the guys and BB-8.”

Then, without anything else that needed to be said, the Wookiee boarded the ship and a moment later the Millennium Falcon was just a speck against the starry sky.

Rey sighed and felt Luke shift his weight beside her. Without the light of the ship, the night seemed darker. He stepped closer and hesitated before he touched her arm softly. “Already missing your friends, aren’t you?”

He was getting better at reading her. Rey nodded and wrapped her arms around herself. “Yes. It’s strange – I’ve just met them but knowing how much distance is between us now and that I won’t be seeing them for some time makes it harder.”

“You will see them in time.” Luke put his arm around Rey’s back, and she let her head fall on his shoulder, soaking it the comfort offered. It put a smile on her face, the knowledge that from now on, there will be someone she could lean on, someone who would always return for her as Finn had done, someone who understood the dangerous path in front of her and was willing to walk it alongside her. It made her almost giddy to realize that it genuinely went both ways. Rey was there for Luke, and he was there for her. No more nightmares and nameless fears.

“Come, the night is getting cold, and I remember promising you fish for dinner.”

“That was yesterday.”

“Better late than never.” Luke winked at her, and they shared a knowing look. Rey let him lead the way back to the hut, still with that broad smile which almost split her face in two. After they mounted the steps, Luke took her hand in his, and they continued on their way side by side.

Touching others on Jakku had been a horrible idea, and Rey understood that between people it was a sign of familiarity and trust. You hugged your friends and family, held hands with children and perhaps lovers. They weren’t lovers, of course – the intimacy they shared was somehow _more_ than any wedded couple could ever have. As always before, his left hand was pleasantly warm, the skin of his fingers roughed by hard work and Rey decided that it was fitting and she liked it quite a lot. It made him real and alive. She could get used to this level of closeness with him.

After dinner, they were both exhausted by the events of the last two days and went to sleep early. Luke had promised that her training would begin in the morning and despite how much she looked forward to it, Rey fell asleep almost immediately.

An hour later, she startled awake and sat up on her cot, blinking owlishly into the darkness of their home. She didn’t know what had woken her, but at least it wasn’t anything dangerous.

Rey looked around curiously and there, something tickled her awareness. It was coming from the direction of Luke’s cot, and she gasped and put her hand in front of her mouth to stifle the sound.

She felt him. The feather-like sensation which brushed against her mind was Luke’s presence. Muted, almost strangled with the tight ropes he had put around himself, but still there.

“Luke?” she whispered, but he didn’t answer. His breathing remained deep and steady. He was asleep

Rey lay back down and closed her eyes, concentrating on the tiny trickle escaping Luke’s iron control, inspecting the feeling. It was only a faint echo, a sliver of what his presence would have felt like in the Force, but Rey drifted off to sleep content as it mingled with her own, their connection humming with happiness.

Luke’s presence was all things warm and safe and colorful.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m not sure I thanked all of you enough for the great welcome into the fandom in general and on board this ship in particular. THANK YOU. Also, for those who might have missed it, I have another story posted. “Shape of You” is a bit different from “Like an Ocean” but I hope you’ll give it a try. See ya next time! : )


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Luke settle into their routine and… Wait? Is that snow? Oh, yeah. It is!

Their days were always the same, seamlessly blending together. The only thing that reminded Rey of the passage of time was the weather – the twin suns were harder to spot through the barriers of clouds, and the temperatures were getting systematically lower and lower.

Luke had merely incorporated her into his usual routine with minimal adjustments, as he had told Rey. She didn’t believe him, exactly, and had the suspicion that Luke was purposefully lenient with her.

In the mornings, they ran on the island’s hidden paths and climbed the cliffs (when the winds abated). For the first two weeks, Rey had only watched Luke’s back as he had been moving agilely several steps ahead of her, smirking over his shoulder.

“Come on, catch me!” he called one day and turned, running backward. His eyes were twinkling, and Rey couldn’t even get annoyed with him. Luke’s cheerfulness was such a rare sight.

“Don’t flatter yourself, Skywalker! I’m going easy on you so you won’t feel bad!” The truth was, Luke was in an excellent condition while Rey had never been used to running for periods of time and didn’t have as much stamina as him. She was much faster than Luke on shorter tracks, though.

“You know, one of my Masters had this custom,” he said, amused, and slowed so Rey could catch up with him. “He used to sit on his apprentices’ backs and forced them to run around for hours. Perhaps I should revive that tradition…”

“That’s a joke, isn’t it?”

“No.” Luke’s face was serious, but then the corners of his mouth twitched. “He was only around 70 cm tall, and didn’t weigh much.”

Rey sometimes wondered if it really would be too disrespectful to the legendary Jedi to hit him over his head. The temptation was great, indeed.

He had also taught her how to catch fish and how to cook them, how to collect the seaweed for their salads and the green milk from the thala-sirens. Food-gathering kept them busy during the early afternoons, and they took turns because Luke knew she was somewhat wary of the large mammals. More often than not, it was him who interacted with the creatures. She even preferred water but drank the milk at his insistence that it was good for her health.

In late afternoons and early evenings they focused on Rey’s fighting skills. Usually, they spared with wooden sticks, and it was embarrassing how many bruises Rey had amassed while she had never even touched Luke with the training sword.

“Your instincts serve you well,” he said in a full master mode after almost a month. Rey had learned to recognize when her friend disappeared and the Jedi Master emerged. She doubted Luke realized it himself – the changes had crept upon them slowly over the weeks. He would stand straighter, clasp his hands behind his back or cross his arms over his chest, sometimes stroking his beard. His face would become inscrutable, eyes gaining a steely glint. His voice would deepen, allowing no room for backtalk.

In those moments, Rey felt immensely pleased and proud of him and was silent and attentive, absorbing everything he said like a sponge with every intention to learn what he was teaching her.

“Thank you.”

“But not in this case,” he said next and frowned. “We need to stop sparing for the time being. I wasn’t able to pay you full attention, but I think I know where the problem is. Come, show me how you attack.”

Luke stepped back and observed her. Rey felt a bit silly but did as he wished and lunged forward.

“Parry! Retreat! Feint! Attack! Attack! Feint!” His voice was loud and clear, and Rey executed his every order the same moment the first syllables left his lips.

“Oh, yes.” Luke passed her a canister of water and relaxed, the Master disappearing and her friend returning. “You move like you were used to when you wielded your staff. That’s keeping you back. You need to forget all of that because it will get you killed. We should have started with the footwork, and katas, installing new proper habits.”

Rey’s first reaction was indignation, but she suppressed it and thought for a moment over his words. He was right. She hadn’t hit him even once, so there was a problem – the fact that she had managed to best Ren meant nothing. Rey had to prove that it hadn’t been just sheer dumb luck.

“Alright.”

“You are everything a Master could ask in a Padawan.” Luke smiled at her and motioned for her to come with him, apparently pleased. He sat on his cloak on the edge of the old training platform the first Jedi used when they had inhabited the island.

“I couldn’t ask for a better teacher.” Rey flopped down next to him on the cloak and turned to watch the ocean. It was becoming her favorite sight, the stormy Ahch-To waters.

“The Jedi used seven lightsaber forms. They trained several of them diligently and switched between when the situation called for it, even though they each had their preferred form. There was even one suited for the use of a double-edged weapon – a saberstaff. Unfortunately, I learned only three of them fully. I had to develop my own fighting style combing the bits and pieces my Masters taught me because neither of the forms suited me and I couldn’t afford spending years practicing something I wouldn’t use fully. We will start with the original forms, so you know the basics, but then I want you to adopt that style. After the war is over, you are welcome to practice any form you wish.”

“Does your style have a name? Can I call it the Skywalker battle form?” Rey grinned.

Luke gave her an exasperated look, but then shrugged, gazing over the water. The suns colored the skies in hues of gold and orange. “If that’s what you want to call it.”

“It is. How is your form different from the others?”

“I’m not a tall man, nor am I an exceptionally strong man but I have found that a bit of aggressiveness in a fight is necessary. The purely defensive form does not suit me and yet I can’t utilize much of the forceful style either. Seeing how much we have in common, I can only guess that you share the same point of view?” Luke glanced at her with a small smile.

“I do.”

“A lightsaber wielder who doesn’t have physical advantages of height and strength has to be quick, agile and deadly in his attacks and precise in his defense. That’s what I want to teach you.”

“I’m always happy to learn.” Rey made herself comfortable and leaned her side against his, intending to enjoy the beautiful view and bask in the satisfaction that she was getting somewhere in her training. They sat there for a few moments when Rey sat up straighter and frowned, observing their surroundings. There was nothing unusual in sight yet she felt uncomfortable as if a pair of eyes was trained on them.

“What is it?” Luke mirrored her actions, his hand straying to the lightsaber at his belt. “Have you heard something?”

Rey took a deep breath, trying to locate the source of her unease – and suddenly, the feeling was gone. It had been just a porg or another creature from the island – or maybe one of the Lanai. The native inhabitants of the Temple Island had steered clear of Rey for the first week and then she had gotten the feeling they didn’t like her very much.

“It felt like someone was watching us.”

“Let’s head back.” Luke rose to his feet, offering Rey his good hand. Without any hesitation, Rey clasped his palm, and he pulled her up. “I’m hungry, and you have yet to convince me why should I let you anywhere near my X-wing.”

“Because I can upgrade it!”

“It’s a 30 years old starfighter. The only thing you can do with that piece of junk is to scrap it.”

“What? It’s a historical relic, you can’t just scrap that!” Rey jumped into their discussion with gusto and tried to ignore the way Luke looked around the whole way back with a worried glint in his eyes.

During their evenings after dinner, the story time came – if Rey didn’t fall asleep, exhausted. They talked about the history of the Temple Island and the Jedi Order. Rey especially liked when Luke talked about his Masters and felt cheated by Fate that she would never meet them and that she was born into times of such Darkness and would never know how life had been for generations of the Jedi Knights during the time of the Old Republic. They argued about mechanics and star navigation and traded stories about life on desert planets. They never brushed the topics that needed so much discussing – Rey never talked about what had actually happened on the Starkiller and Luke did not mention his nephew or the New Jedi Order.

The nights were peaceful, even though Rey knew Luke usually went to sleep much later than her. Their physical closeness seemed to satisfy their Force connection, and they didn’t have to share any more dreams, their sleep undisturbed by nightmares. Most of the nights, Luke’s presence in the Force was tightly guarded, but sometimes, the same small tendril escaped. Rey constantly marveled at the gentle feel of it, at ease with the way it brushed against and connected with her own Force presence, making the bond hum.

They had good days filled with their routine, joking during the training and meal-times and then they had bad days. Rey had stopped thinking of their days separately – if Luke was feeling down, both of them had a bad day. During those, he disappeared to brood into one of the caves or on top of one of the cliffs. Once she had seen him sulking in the ruins of the Temple.

She left him to it for a few hours but around nightfall always came to find him. She would embrace him wordlessly and then sit with him until the cold forced them to return to the hut. He would grip her hand almost painfully on the way back and then whisper a soft, vulnerable, “Thank you.”

It was also a learning experience for Rey, who had never _mattered_ to someone before. Suddenly, there was a person who was depending on her, and she tried so hard not to let Luke down. Rey was rewarded by little things in which Luke let her know how he appreciated her help, how he valued her. He would share his cloak, save the best parts of their fish for her, offer a smile while he passed her a canister with water, or wish her good night in that particular soft voice when she was on the brink of sleep… For the first time in her life, Rey felt like she was _precious_ to someone. As the time passed, the number of their bad days lessened, and the small spark of light in Luke’s eyes which had been so rare had become present more often. Rey considered it her greatest achievement, so far.

She had quickly progressed from the basic footwork and was working on the katas from Form I with much more success than she had thought possible. Luke certainly seemed impressed. The occasions when he had to step in and correct her stance or hold on the weapon were sparse.

Rey loved kata training – not only because footwork was and always had been the most boring aspect of any martial art but because Luke trained with her. He had to show her each movement, and Rey copied him. They entered a fascinating dance without music, moving at the same speed with the same purpose framed with the light of the setting suns until night swallowed their figures and the glow of their sabers cut through the darkness with ease. The training was relaxing, they had to focus only on the perfection of each sweep of the lightsaber, precision of their blocks and steps. During the hours they dedicated to katas, Rey actually felt the Force stir within her, filling her with its power, connecting with her body in ways she hadn’t even thought about.

Her favorite part of the kata training, however, was the time when she could simply observe her Master – for he was her Master during those hours. He sometimes left her to the Form I and moved through his own battle set with a deadly precision which he had acquired only through dedicated repetition. She could easily imagine him going through the form, again and again, day after day – for hours without pause driving himself to the point of utter exhaustion so he could fall easier asleep in the evenings. But now, Luke would become absorbed in practice, sometimes even closing his eyes, and in those fleeting moments, he appeared at peace with the whole galaxy.

Luke finished the battle form and straightened, opening his eyes and blinking at her when he found Rey staring at him. “Everything’s alright, Rey?”

“Yes… It’s just… There are snowflakes all around you.” Rey answered with her cheeks only slightly pink. “I’ve seen snow but…”

That memory was not pleasant, and Rey didn’t like snow purely from the association, but this was different. Perhaps because she had first seen snow on a dead planet with the threat of imminent death thrumming through her veins while now… Now she saw big fluffy snowflakes gently floating around her most favorite person in the universe.

Luke smiled warmly and put out his lightsaber, glancing around. “You have never seen it fall from the sky before, have you?”

“No.”

“Let’s enjoy it.” He stepped next to her and put his arm around Rey’s back, drawing her close to his side as he turned his face to the heavens. “The first time I saw it, I was awestruck. Then the snowfall turned into a blizzard, of course, so the spell was broken.”

“It’s beautiful.”

Luke turned to look down at her and focused his gaze on the single snowflake which was about to land on the tip of Rey’s nose. He grinned, the blue of his eyes twinkling like stars in the night. “It is.”

The snowflake landed, and Rey sneezed and startled when she heard Luke’s laugh. Not a chuckle or a cough masking his amusement but full-blown laughter coming from deep within him.

They watched the snowfall until it got dark. Rey had looped her arms around Luke’s waist and managed to snuggle under his cloak as it got colder. When they arrived at the hut, the temperature was dropping considerably, and the winds were picking up with every passing second.

“I’m afraid we’re in for a storm,” Luke said. “I’m going to bring more firewood.”

He was right. Rey heard the winds howling around the hut, and for the first time since coming to live on Ahch-To, she couldn’t fall asleep. So she stared into the dark and wished for the weather to calm. Not to mention the cold. As the minutes went by, the temperature inside their home was getting lower and lower despite the flames in the fireplace. She stopped feeling her toes and fingers eventually. That was the moment when Rey’s teeth chattered.

“Rey?” Luke’s voice sounded from across the hut. “Are you cold?”

“A bit.”

There was silence – well, neither of them spoke, but Rey still heard the winds, and her teeth still chattered. No matter how carefully she wrapped herself into both of her blankets, she was _still_ cold.

Grabbing his blanket, Luke shuffled over to her. Rey noticed that his hair was sticking out at funny angles and that his kind eyes, even when he appeared half-asleep, were so very blue. He smiled and leaned over her, tucking his blanket over Rey’s form with care. “Try to fall asleep. I’ll bring more blankets in the morning.”

“What about you?” Rey sat up and caught his arm as Luke turned.

He patted her hand. “I’ll be fine, don’t worry about that.”

Rey lay back down and watched him as he fed the flames and then returned to his cot, draping his cloak over his body.

That wouldn’t do. It was freezing inside the hut; their breaths were leaving their mouths as puffs of vapor. A cloak wasn’t enough to protect him from the cold. Rey hopped from her bed with all the blankets in her arms and quickly padded to the other side of the hut, sitting down on Luke’s cot next to his legs.

“What precisely you think you’re doing, Rey?”

“Making sure none of us is going to freeze to death. Move over.” She didn’t wait for him to budge, actually. Rey just threw all three blankets over them and lay down on her side with her back to him.

Luke was too stunned to react for a few moments, but then he just followed her example and shifted to his side, putting his arm around Rey. They both knew that the most efficient way to keep warm was to share body heat and she supposed he had been cold, too. He heaved a deep sigh, his breath tickling Rey’s cheek. “Bring your pillow next time, this way you’ll strain your neck.”

“Okay,” Rey mumbled, already falling asleep, surrounded by warmth and the familiar, comforting scents of rain, leather and something light and sweet.

They slept late and woken to a changed world; their routine had altered irrevocably. Luke didn’t bring more blankets in the morning, and Rey moved the pillow from her cot to his sometime during the next week. When the snow melted away after fifty-two days of winter, that’s where Rey’s pillow still stayed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter is going to be a short interlude from Luke’s POV before the new story arch begins and other characters start to interrupt our two favorite heroes. Hope you guys are not disappointed with the lack of M rating in this fic. It somehow feels wrong at this stage of the story… Thanks for reading! : )


	6. Luke's Interlude 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just a quick look how Luke sees things.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Before I forget… Regnumveritatis invited me to join Rey/Luke discord, and I thought I could post the link here for anyone who wants to chat. You know I love hearing from you – so you are all welcome to join us :)  
> https://discord.gg/NUpKjus

Luke woke first early in the morning, his awareness returning slowly. He could feel the heavy mass of snow outside, how it was pressing on the roof of their hut. He could feel the winds had calmed and the clouds cleared, and how stars were twinkling in the skies as the new day was being born. He felt gold brightness and warmth enveloping him, all soft and featherlike, touching his consciousness almost shyly, interweaving with a tiny stream of his own bright colors.

And he froze and breathed in the scent he had come to associate with Rey – earthly smell of a forest clearing on a summer day; wildflowers, strawberries, and pine trees.

His eyes opened, and he blinked into the semidarkness of their hut, becoming aware of the fact that he and Rey were not interwoven _only_ in the Force. She was using his right arm as her pillow, the whole of her back pressed tightly against his torso, their legs entangled, and he had his other arm wrapped around her, his left hand resting close to Rey’s breast.

Luke started to blush and swallowed as he also realized that the position they were in had an interesting effect on a particular part of his anatomy. He held his breath as he slowly minimized the contact of his groin with Rey’s backside, releasing it only after he had inched almost to the wall of the hut. Rey was a wonderful person, and Luke knew he wasn’t worthy of her generosity, her unconditional loyalty, and friendship. He wasn’t about to make her uncomfortable with a mere bodily function.

Then he focused on their Force bond and spent a long time simply marveling at the feel and sight of it. It had been years since he had allowed himself even the smallest contact with the Force in fear of what he would do with his powers back. He had been and still was absolutely terrified to open himself again to such a temptation – there was anger in him, a dangerous festering wound that had the potential to become something much darker, which could push him over the edge. Now, though, he felt only contentment, completeness he hadn’t known in his entire life until this very moment. There was no negative emotions, no anger, no fear, just the pure pleasure of being whole, peace, and joy, and Luke smiled and closed his eyes, floating with the feeling.

When he felt Rey was close to waking, he pretended to be asleep. With a tear slowly sliding from the corner of his eye, Luke called the tiny tendril of his presence back into his body, sealing his powers again behind iron gates. When the last thread between them broke, he shuddered as he lost contact both with Rey and the Force.

He continued to lie there, bereft, and wondered how it would look and feel if he should open those gates fully; how Rey’s golden light would mix with the bright colors of his Force presence, how radiant and blinding their bond would become. He realized with a start that he wanted to find out.

Perhaps with Rey close at his side, he wouldn’t have to be afraid to allow the Force back into his body. She had balanced him, brought him a new purpose, a peace of mind and an unexpected chance at being the man he had been before Ben had fallen. With her bright gold Force presence filling him with hope, how could he ever think of anything but the Light?

He just needed time, he told himself.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, I was quite nervous about writing from his POV, but it turned out better than I expected. The regular chapter will be up sometime next week, and things will start to get more interesting ;)


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Luke get a visitor who turns their world upside down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Wow, this story has undoubtedly grown into something I never expected. Over 1.000 hits! That’s amazing, thank you all for reading it and sharing your opinions, and all the kudos :)

Rey was sitting cross-legged on a high rock, patiently observing her Master as he demonstrated Form IV in its entirety. Luke couldn’t teach her Form II, which had been considered archaic and not practiced even at the time when the Jedi Order had fallen. Form III required a level of control over the Force which neither of them had at the moment, so the only way how to progress her training was Form IV.

She was trying not to let her jaw drop, but it was rather difficult. Rey knew that Luke adapted half of this particular set of katas for his own battle form, but he left out so much, and she could see why.

With a double backward somersault and a wide sweep of his blade, he finished the set and straightened, his power swirling around him in abundance. She could feel it, the familiar presence filling the space between them and reaching for her as their connection buzzed in excitement. It called to Rey and part of her was answering, reaching back. That was the first time she could feel Luke in the Force when he wasn’t asleep, and Rey was speechless. His presence was so vibrant, multi-colored, and _amazing_.

Then Luke took a deep breath, and the tendrils of his Force presence and power slammed back into him, tightly guarded once more and Rey felt their absence like a physical slap in her face. She took the feeling and pushed it into the corner of her mind, focusing more on a different thing which made her heart beat like a drum.

“That’s… I can’t learn that! Ever!” she cried, letting her panic overcome her rational thoughts. “I can’t move like that!”

Luke’s forehead was covered in sweat, his breathing was hard, but he grinned as he walked closer to her with light steps. She didn’t understand how he could even _stand_ after what she had just seen. Form IV was very forceful and acrobatic, very demanding – and all the handstands, climbing and running around the Island made much more sense.

“That’s what everyone said and believe it or not, generations of Jedi Knights learned it without much difficulty.”

“I’ll break my neck.”

“Rey…”

“No, honestly… What you did, it’s… incredible… but I can tell you right now that no matter how hard I’ll train, my body just won’t be able to leap that high, or to flip so many times…” Rey had a hard time to sit still, but she was practicing patience, so she resisted the impulse to jump up.

Luke crossed his arms over his chest as he waited for her to snap out of her panic attack. Then he asked calmly, “What do you feel when you practice Form I?”

Rey tried to control her breathing and blushed, realizing that he might look serious, but his eyes were laughing merrily – at her silliness. “Well, I… feel the Force.”

“Yes. What does it do?”

“It should be doing something?” Rey’s voice rose slightly higher, and she felt the panic returning. After seeing what she just had, Rey felt inadequate, and no matter how loudly the rational part of her was telling her to listen to Luke and let him explain, she just kept panicking. “You never said it should be doing something to me!”

“Breathe with me.” The corners of Luke’s lips turned upwards, and he looked ready to burst out laughing, but remained calm and started to take deep breaths. Rey copied him, and after a minute, they were breathing together, in and out slowly.

“Form I has one primary purpose – to open you to the presence of the Force. Once that happens, it’s always a part of you…”

Luke fell silent and turned around, his face becoming an expressionless mask, his eyes narrowing. Rey opened her mouth to ask him what was wrong when she felt it. Someone was watching them, and it sent shivers down her spine. It was the same feeling she had had several times during her training, but it was even stronger now.

They were _not_ _alone_ on the training platform.

Her hand strayed to her belt where the blue lightsaber was, and she saw from the corner of her eye as Luke did the same. Her previous panic was gone, and a quiet sense of resignation filled her. If they had been discovered, there was no point in panicking.

“Do you think it’s the First Order?”

“I don’t know. I… I can’t feel who it is.” Luke gave her a long look, his eyes shadowed by the old pain, the guilt, the shame at his own weaknesses which hadn’t made an appearance in months. Rey hated it with passion as she tried to reach into the Force herself. They had been doing great, he was getting better; she _knew_ he was. She was going to hack their attackers to bits for destroying that.

“Peace, young Skywalker, trouble I am not.” The squeaky old voice sounded from behind Rey, and she jumped from her rock and managed to execute a perfect flip and land next to Luke, facing the enemy with her weapon activated… Only to be greeted by laughter that sounded as if someone was grinding rocks together and the sight of a small blue transparent creature in what appeared to be Jedi robes.

At first, the place where the visitor stood appeared empty to her senses, but as she probed her surrounding in the Force again, she got a faint trace of… something; whiteness and lightness of snowfall.

“Young Kenobi, you like a fish out of sea look,” it said with another chuckle. It held a short cane and knocked with it on the rock. “What a pair, you younglings are!”

“Master Yoda,” Luke whispered and hearing his voice hurt. Rey focused her eyes on him immediately, the legendary Jedi Master forgotten. She deactivated her lightsaber and stepped closer to Luke, not quite touching him, but enough for her to feel the heat of his body.

Luke had tears in his eyes, and his expression was like a mirror which had been shattered. “I thought I would never see you again…”

Rey caught him before he could fall and slowed their descent to the ground, not caring about the audience they had. She grabbed his good hand, and her other arm went around Luke’s shoulders as he kept staring at Yoda.

She followed his eyes and glared at the apparition. “From what I heard, you should be dead.”

“Spunky, much defiance I sense in you.”

That didn’t help in the slightest, and Rey’s frown deepened to a fierce scowl. “I don’t think we’ve met and only because Luke recognized you, I am not trying my best to slice you up, see-through or not.”

“Oho, ho, ho!” Yoda tilted his head back and laughed and laughed. “Looks like the Force this time around right champion chose. You a good one are!”

“What are you talking about?”

“No one usually knows that,” Luke answered and gripped her hand back like it was a lifeline. Perhaps it was. He remained kneeling, swallowing hard and blinking the tears back. “Master Yoda, please, forgive her. I didn’t get around to explaining some things…”

“You much explaining did not do at all.” Yoda floated down from the rock and walked to them. “The Dark Side clouded much, but your heart now lighter needs to be. For the fight, needed you still are.”

“I know, and I am trying, Master…”

“How many times I say it must? Do or do not, there is no try.”

So this was some sort of a ghost? While Rey was quickly putting two and two together, she did not appreciate the way Yoda was talking to Luke. He might have been the wisest Jedi Master in the recent history, a legend, but he was also dead, and he had died in exile after one of his students had turned on the Jedi and killed all the others. Yoda was the last to have the right to appear from the afterlife and preach about how they were doing in the recent fight against the Dark Side. From what Rey had understood, not that Luke had said a word against his teacher, Yoda had made peace with himself only close to his demise. He had no right to come and kick a man who was trying to get to his feet.

“Master Yoda, with all due respect, what are you doing here?”

“Respect much you for me do not have,” he said and squinted at her. “Respect for your teacher you need. How you want to learn if you do not?”

Luke took in a sharp breath and glanced at Rey. His grip on Rey’s hand hurt. “You are here to teach Rey?”

“In the ways of the Force, someone instructs her must.”

Rey’s jaw actually felt like it hit the floor and she spluttered. “I have a teacher! Why is everyone suddenly offering me that now, when I don’t need it?”

“Young Skywalker the ways of the lightsaber teaches you, but enough is it? No. Form I you mastered. Form III you need to learn. Form IV my favorite is but for you, not practical. Form II well will serve you against the Dark Side.” Yoda hit the ground with his cane every time he mentioned one of the Forms, and then he knocked his old student over the head. “Here, the problem is. Overcome your fear, guilt, and anger you must! Young Kenobi must learn and a teacher in tune with the Force that needs!”

Seeing Yoda was too much for Luke, Rey thought a moment before her fear was realized. They hadn’t had enough _time_ to deal with all that.

“I’m sorry I failed you, Master Yoda…” Luke’s voice broke, and he bowed his head, staring at Yoda’s feet. “I’m what is left of the Order, and now I fear… that… the legacy will die with me. I can’t do it… I can’t be the teacher Rey deserves… I failed you both.”

“No!” Rey shouted and tugged at his hand, but Luke refused to look at her. Before she could voice what exactly she thought about that load of thala-siren manure, Yoda hit Luke over the head again, harder.

“Kenobi right is. Listen, young Skywalker.” He put the handle of his cane under Luke’s chin and used it to lift his head slowly. Then he patted him on the cheek in an uncharacteristically gentle gesture. “You good did. Listening you are? You good did. Us, we did not. Many mistakes the old Jedi did, blind we were. No more. You and young Kenobi here, you the future of the Jedi are. Make it strong and do better than we.”

Rey was speechless as she observed the interaction between the old Jedi Master and her friend. Her heart broke at the raw emotions in the voice of the small creature, and she felt ashamed of her harsh judgment. Yoda had been where Luke was now, and the ancient Jedi hadn’t had anyone to hold his hand, he had been alone, waiting on a desolate planet with only a sliver of hope to come. Thirty years later, all Yoda’s hopes were dashed, the Light almost diminished, and he had apparently observed it all.

“In you both we trust. Even in the deepest Darkness a spark of Light spring can; forget that not. Now, you have to trust in you, too.”

Rey slid closer and hugged Luke to keep him together with the sheer power of her will and affection. His shoulders were shaking, but he was trying to keep his composure.

“I still don’t understand why exactly you appeared and why now. We’ve been on Ahch-To for some time.” What Rey was actually asking was why Yoda hadn’t come before. Luke needed to hear those words from his Master’s mouth so badly, she could tell.

“To teach both of you, I came,” he answered as if it should be obvious. “Young Skywalker never his training finished, and now when in contact with the Force he is again, it is possible to meet for us. When the Force he refused, he our contact severed. Only a small tendril when he not aware was, reach _you_ could. Only you help him open to the Force could. Now, we work finally can. The last living Jedi you two may be but the only Jedi you are not.”

Luke, who seemed utterly unsurprised by this, turned his head towards her, gazing at her with wide blue eyes and Rey swallowed at the swirling chaos of emotions in them. He hadn’t looked at her like that before; as if she was the center of the universe, the answer to all the questions of life, his personal savior.

Yoda was basically saying that when Luke had cut himself from the Force, he had cut himself from Yoda’s reach, from the help he could have had. Until recently, the only times when he had been in a small contact with the Force had been the moments when he had been asleep and hadn’t been able to keep his powers in check. The Force bond, their sharing of dreams, had been possible only in those times. Until she had come to Ahch-To and Luke had started to train her, until this very afternoon when he had let out his power for the first time as he had been demonstrating Form IV.

“Beginning to understand, you do. Good, good. Awareness, important is!”

Yoda left them be and wandered a few steps away from them, poking his head into Rey’s backpack in which they had brought their water canister and dried fish for a snack.

“Oh, Force, Rey…” Luke closed his eyes. Releasing her hand, he brought her to his chest and started crying silently. Rey hugged him tighter, wrapping both arms around him, and tried to lend him all of her strength. She focused on her breathing and her own heartbeat, tried to keep both calm and steady. Soon, they shared the same breath, her exhale was his inhale and vice versa.

“I have no words, Rey, I… can’t…” he stammered when he calmed enough to speak. “To think that you are burdened with that, with my demons… that the purpose of your being here is to make a blind fool _see_ …”

“That young Kenobi’s purpose is not. Restoring Balance to the Force and keeping it her purpose is.” Yoda corrected matter-of-factly. “You Skywalkers never see what in front of you is, eyes turned up and up, while what important on the ground is.”

“What?” She wasn’t sure who asked first, or louder, but both Rey and Luke turned to stare at the Jedi Master with shock. He chuckled and said, “Obi-Wan brighter was at your age. You too much time with the Skywalkers spend, young one. Bright much, you are not, eh?”

Cackling madly, he vanished from their sight.

Rey stared at the space where Yoda had been for a full minute before she turned to look at her friend. Luke had been watching her the whole time with a thoughtful frown on his face. Then his red-rimmed eyes smiled at her, his expression softening.

“Kenobi, how could I miss that?” he said and traced the line of her jaw with the fingers of his left hand before placing his palm against her cheek. “You even speak like Master Obi-Wan.”

Rey shivered and closed her eyes. All of her attention had been focused on Luke and his pain, and she hadn’t spared even one single thought to the fact that Yoda had called her a Kenobi, that he had said she was the _Chosen One_. Then her eyes filled with tears as the realization of Yoda’s words hit her full force.

She had a name. Rey wasn’t a nameless orphan any longer, a desert rat left all alone in the universe, a scavenger without a purpose, a life. Rey had a name, a legacy, friends and family and a destiny to fulfill – and what a destiny that was! She turned from a worthless, nameless no one into the person the fate of the whole galaxy depended upon.

“That’s… Oh, Luke, that’s unbelievable!” Rey buried her face between Luke’s shoulder and neck and cried and then laughed and cried again. She was _Rey Kenobi,_ and according to the spirit of a legendary Jedi Master, she was destined to bring Balance to the Force – and _keep_ it this time. Rey wasn’t sure which of those two things sounded more far-fetched; that she was a descendant of a Jedi Master long dead or that the Force itself had created her to be its tool? One option should contradict the other, shouldn’t it? Yet Rey felt at least part of it was true – these last months had been slowly preparing her for that role. Before coming to Ahch-To, Rey might have been scared, terrified – but now?

 “I think it makes perfect sense,” he whispered and held her tighter, laughing and crying with her. “Although I don’t know the exact mechanics of the _how_ , I don’t doubt it even for a moment, Rey – just look at us, how you saved me. The only thing I am worried about is that…”

As he fell silent, Rey managed to pull herself together and leaned back to see his face. She didn’t like his expression at all. Luke’s eyes darkened, and he was staring straight through her with a painful grimace and lips turned downward.

Now Rey felt that there was nothing to turn her from that path. Just watching as the light left Luke’s eyes, imagining how her friends fought in a senseless war, how millions of people suffered because of the imbalance in the Force under the iron fist of the First Order… How could she ignore it, how could she even think about refusing to do what was needed? For her Master and all the Jedi who had sacrificed their lives for justice and peace, for Finn who had chosen what had been right, and Poe who never lost his courage even in the direst of circumstances, for General Organa who had lost everything to the Dark Side and still continued on.

“Luke, what are you worried about?”

He snapped his attention to her face, a haunted look in his eyes. “I’ll fail you. Obi-Wan was the epitome of Light, and until his death, he believed that he had failed my father. How can I ever even _think_ of being the teacher the Chosen One needs? Look at me, I’m just an old fool who is scared to access the Force, leave the island. How can I…”

As she gazed at him, she could clearly see it, the self-doubt in him, the fear of destroying everything around him, of turning to the Dark Side like his father and nephew had done. Rey refused to acknowledge – let alone break under – the pressure of expectations thrust upon her. She had the biggest, greatest motivation to be everything the universe expected her to be kneeling brokenly in front of her. Rey trusted in the Force – unlike Luke whose trust had been broken so many times. Yoda was right. Her Master needed to believe in himself, and her friend Luke needed Rey to show him that someone else already had.

“Remember what you said to me, the day Chewie flew away?” Rey put her hand on his cheek, mirroring his previous actions. She felt him give the faintest nod, his eyes boring into her with intensity. “I can’t imagine walking this path without you. Did you see Yoda here with us just moments ago? The Force has connected us together. We are not alone, never will be as long as we have each other and the Light.”

Rey hugged him next, resting her chin on his shoulder, and wished for the comforting warmth of his Force presence. However, their bond remained cold as his powers stayed hidden. It was enough, she told herself; being close to him in this way was enough, and she would need to remember not to be too greedy and impatient. She knew that Luke would recover all of his self-confidence now that they would hopefully get help from his old Master – with time.

“You humble me so, Rey,” Luke said, pressing a featherlike kiss to her forehead in the sweetest manner. Then he leaned back and smiled gently, almost shyly as he looked into her eyes.

“I’ll do as you wish, be there for you in any capacity you’ll need me,” he said. The first time, he had offered to walk with her, but now he had _promised_. At that moment, as she was getting lost in the blue of his eyes, Rey knew for certain that their lives were interwoven forever, and that they would walk the same paths without questions asked. She would follow him wherever he would lead, too.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay. I knew I was going to make Rey the Chosen One the moment she said she didn’t like sand. But I had no idea that she is a Kenobi! Honestly! She’s Obi’s granddaughter in “Shape of You,” but she wasn’t supposed to be connected to him in this story. Then I watched some scenes from Episode III to get in tune with my inner Sith and… it just happened. Obi-Wan deserves so much more than he got.


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke has to confront his past, and Rey gets another visitor from the afterlife.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m so sorry for the long wait, but this chapter was difficult to write. Enjoy ;)

There is a disturbance in the Force, he realizes and leaps from his bed as he summons the lightsaber to his outstretched hand. Luke doesn’t hesitate as he runs from his room barefooted, the green glow of the blade illuminating the way.

He runs towards the source of his unease, the heavy waves of Darkness make his stomach roll. The Knights of Ren, he knows; Force-users serving the First Order which has risen from the remains of the Empire.

He had fought one of them during his travels when they came across a Force-sensitive child at the same time. The youngling wasn’t particularly strong, and the heartless creature in a mask slaughtered the boy and then fled. That was the moment when Luke realized that he would have to face them one day. He just hoped he would have more than seventeen younglings to protect and three teenage padawans at his back.

They’re at the main gate, and Luke feels how the shields around the Temple falter and fall. How? The protections can be brought down only from the _inside_ of the main building. How is it possible that one of the Knights of Ren has slipped inside?

He concentrates and reaches through the Force towards his nephew. _“Ben! Ben! We’re under attack! Take the children and go to the hangar. Get them out of here!”_

Their training bond remains cold.

_“Ben!”_ Luke stops in the central courtyard, facing the gate. The enemies are burning through the heavy metal with their lightsabers. He is relieved that none of the Knights is capable of using the Force to just blow up the gate, but it’s only a matter of minutes until they get through.

_“Ben!”_ He sits cross-legged on the ground, deactivating his weapon and tries to reach for his nephew again. He cannot sense him in the Force, and a feeling of dread settles in his stomach. Ben’s not dead, is he? How can he ever face Leia again? _“Please, Ben!”_

He feels her before he hears the footsteps behind and turns in time to see Garala in her nightclothes round the corner with her short blue saber activated. She skids to a stop, panting.

“Master Skywalker! Someone destroyed the shield generators, the whole room is on fire!” she says, wide green eyes trained on him. “What are we going to do?”

So they did get inside. No one is safe.

“Listen, Garala, I want you to check on the younglings and get them all to the hangar,” he says calmly. “Then I want you to fly to Senator Organa-Solo, do you understand?”

“But what about you, Master?” Garala adopts a fighting stance and faces the gate. Luke thinks proudly he never forgets her expression, in equal measures both determined and terrified. She’s only thirteen but already a Jedi.

A tall shadow separates himself from the wall of the corridor behind them, a smooth voice answering, “I wouldn’t worry about that.”

“Ben!” Luke smiles in relief and stands, putting his hand on the girl’s shoulder, nudging her to step back. “We will hold the gate until you are all safe and then we’ll follow you.”

“But there are too many of them!” she protests.

“Do as your Master says, Padawan. Move it to the hangar!” Ben’s voice is sharp, and he activates his own weapon. He is fully clothed and ready to fight, already masking his presence in the Force. That’s his Ben, his best student.

Luke smiles into the girl’s eyes and turns, assuming his own fighting stance. He only hears the hum of a lightsaber and then feels how Garala’s presence dissipates into the Force. Turning, he is slammed with brute strength into one of the pillars of the entrance hall. He has enough sense to envelop himself in the Force to protect his body from the brunt of it, but as Luke hurtles backward, he splits the pillar into halves and crashes in the wall behind it. Then he knows no more.

When Luke regains his consciousness, his senses are assaulted all at once. He tastes blood in his mouth. Everything around him is in flames, and heavy smoke is rising up to the skies. His eyes fill with tears as he stumbles from the debris of wood, metal, and stone and falls to his knees on the smooth paving in the middle of the courtyard. The main gate is blown open by a tremendous force – from the _inside_.

“Ben…” he laments and shakes his head. The Force is full of echoes of his students’ voices. They are gone, cut down unexpectedly, cruelly. All of his students are gone, and he feels their absence as a gaping wound in his heart, the empty places inside of him bleeding as if someone has cut pieces of his soul out.

All twenty of them including Ben – gone forever.

Ben’s presence in the Force is unmasked, and he feels the shift in him. He fell to the Dark Side and what was worse, he embraced it wholeheartedly, gleefully. Sick and oily, black – that’s what is left of his nephew’s vivid green signature.

Luke howls into the night and buries his face in his hands, pain filling him to the brim. All the children, their bright smiles, their wonder as they discovered their abilities, the hope for a new age of peace and prosperity… Shattered.

Everything is gone. He has failed them.

Luke hits the ground with his right hand, splitting the stone into several pieces. Why didn’t he see it? Ben has been so gifted, but ever since they told him the truth about Darth Vader and Anakin Skywalker, the boy hasn’t been himself. Why didn’t he notice it? Why didn’t he act in time? He let his nephew become a _monster_.

The monster who murdered Garala from behind… Luke forces himself to his feet and turns to watch the building crumble. The children burn inside, and he hopes, prays, that Ben didn’t come into the sleeping quarters and didn’t kill them in their beds with the lightsaber Luke has helped him to build.

He heaves dryly. That thought is unimaginable. Their blood is on Luke’s hands.

Anger fills him, and he rubs at his stinging eyes. He feels it, the tendrils of the Darkness, as they reach for him, as they wrap themselves around his heart. The Knights of Ren are still on the planet, he can feel them; their presence is calling to him, and something in him responds. A terrible beast roars in Luke’s mind, clawing its way out into the open.

Murderers of children, servants of the First Order. _Evil_. They deserve to be slain without mercy, to be put down like the animals they are. Why should it not be him? Why hold back and let this hideousness slide? No. He will not. He hungers for their lives. Justice needs to be dealt this night.

Luke summons his lightsaber, and it faithfully flies into his right hand from the debris. The metal is red-hot and burns away the synthetic skin of his artificial limb. He bites the inside of his cheek until he draws more blood and tries to calm his breathing. The Force trembles with his rage and as the feeling grows in him, so does the disturbance. He tastes the fear in his nephew even from a distance. Ben has never been a witness to Luke’s unchained rage, not many have. He’s right to be afraid. They all are.

For a moment, Luke stares into the flames but sees the Temple as it was just a few hours ago – a place of light and hope and laugher – and the weapon falls from his hand as the realization hits. Acting in anger, seeking vengeance, letting those emotions consume him… that is not the way of the Jedi, not the way his Masters taught him when he was a young man.

Luke shudders and without thinking cuts his connection to the Force. He screams as he falls to his knees again when its presence leaves him completely alone with his grief, shock, and fear of what he was about to become. A part of him will be missing forever because he never plans to accept it back, he can’t. It’s not _safe_. How he can ever allow himself such power while his heart thirsts for revenge?

He screams his pain into the night, and screams and screams until he can’t anymore. The skies open and cold rain falls down, but the flames won’t die down. The Temple is soon consumed entirely by the fire. There is a beeping sound from his side, but he can’t turn to R2, _everything_ becomes blurry, chaotic, pointless. He’s nothing, just a shadow of a man who has been just torn to pieces…

And then there are gentle hands on his back, skimming his shoulders briefly before a pair of arms wraps around him. A cheek is pressed against his shoulder blades, and a voice whispers, “Oh, Luke.”

“Rey.” Luke trembles and closes his eyes as their surroundings melt away and they find themselves in the hut. The vision ends.

-.-.-

“I couldn’t get to you sooner; the Force wouldn’t let me.” Rey sobbed as Luke’s eyes opened, his presence disappearing and the bond getting cold. She sat up and stared at him as he slowly pulled himself up and leaned against the wall, taking large gulps of air. Then she reached for him, and Luke quickly wrapped his arms around her back as hers found their way around his waist. “It was so awful, so awful. I’m so sorry I couldn’t get to you sooner.”

“I’m sorry you had to live through it,” Luke choked out.

“I’m not!” Rey said and looked him in the eyes. The sorrow in them was crippling, and she wanted to find Kylo Ren and run him through with her lightsaber as he had done to Han. “I’m not.”

“What happened that night is my burden to bear.”

“Not anymore.” She squeezed him tightly, pressing her cheek against his chest and listening to the frantic beat of his heart. “I don’t know why it should be. Nothing that happened that night was your fault. I won’t allow you to live the rest of your life feeling guilt over the choices of that… monster!”

“Ben came to me as an innocent boy, and it was my duty to guide him… It was my duty to protect my students… and…”

“You did all you could! You almost died that night!” she interrupted him fiercely. Ren could have killed Luke first instead of the young girl. Why he hadn’t, Rey didn’t know and didn’t question. She was just happy that Luke had survived the night. “The Dark Side tempts you, it tempts me, and it tempted all Force users before us. That’s why it’s the Dark Side, but it’s our choice to submit or not. Kylo Ren fell, and it had nothing to do with you!”

“He was just a boy!”

“He looked the same age as me! He chose his path. No one put a lightsaber to his throat to force him to deactivate the shields and blow up the gate. No one forced him to kill the other students!”

“I should have stopped it! Don’t you see? I live while all the children are dead, Rey!” Luke shouted and disentangled himself from her, rising to his feet. Rey felt tendrils of his power swirl around him as he was losing control over his emotions and the hold of his powers. He was breathing hard, shaking, staring at her with wide eyes. She knew the signs, Luke was on the verge of a breakdown.

“Luke, please…” Rey pleaded and attempted to touch him both with her hand and through the Force. The bond sparked to life as her presence reached for him, trying to embrace him and offer comfort.

“No!” Luke roared and lifted his hand to motion her to stop. “You will not do that.”

“I will not do that…” Rey replied, dazed, and lowered the arm. Only her eyes reflected how alarmed she was; wide and glistening with unshed tears. He had used the Force on her, bending her will to his. Luke himself looked horrified, and then he rushed through the door and into the night.

Rey, breathing as if she had just run around the length of the Temple Island, slumped down on the cot and cried anew – shaking and terrified. There was something awfully familiar in the movement, the way Luke had raised his hand, how his fingers had twitched as he had commanded the Force. For a brief moment, she hadn’t seen Luke, but Ren with his hand outstretched toward her, also bending her mind to his will.

“Please forgive him,” a voice said. “Luke is usually very controlled, but in his youth, he was as reckless and undisciplined as me. We Skywalker men do not fare very well under great stress and easily get emotional. It’s an unfortunate family trait.”

Rey jumped to her feet, and her glowing lightsaber was in her hand before she could even think about summoning it. In front of her was a Force ghost of a tall young man in Jedi robes and as she reached through the Force to him, she could feel a faint echo of something resembling quicksilver in color.

He raised his hands – one normal and the other artificial – to signalize he meant no harm. A roguish smile played over his lips. “Anakin Skywalker – a pleasure to finally meet my successor.”

She just blinked at him several times, unsure if this was really happening. The last several hours felt suddenly like a terrible nightmare – from Yoda’s unexpected apparition to this. Was she really facing Luke’s father? Was it real? Perhaps she was suffering from brain fever, and all of this was just the product of her imagination.

“Nope, I’m afraid it is happening. Trust me; I spent a lot of time wondering the same thing… Mind if I sit?” He took a seat by the fireplace and grinned. “You know, you can’t harm me with that. Wow, I can’t believe someone is still using that old ‘saber.”

“So, you are the one I have to thank for all the things that went wrong in the last fifty years or so?” Rey was not impressed with the previous Chosen One and put the lightsaber away, crossing her arms over her chest. “And yeah, I actually do mind that you made yourself at home. I need to go hunt down your idiotic son and explain some things to him.”

“Good luck with that; a thick skull is also a family trait.”

They glared at each other, and it was Rey who huffed in the end and sat on the log on the opposite side of the fire. “Alright – to what do I own the honor of your attention?”

“It’s like talking to a pissed of girl version of Obi-Wan, and that’s downright scary,” he said to one in particular, received another death glare and shrugged. “I’m here to help – we decided to help you along a bit.”

“So, I live my whole life virtually alone, and all of the dead Jedi Knights and Masters suddenly decide to start popping into the existence the moment I am doing quite well on my own?”

“Please, this is not ‘doing well’ at all. You two kiddies are treading water, not going anywhere. Luke has some issues, and he needs to get over them – and you are too emotionally invested in him to force him to confront those issues. It would take him years to tell you what happened at the New Jedi Temple and we sort of _don’t_ have years. Not to mention that he depends on you and all that nice fluffy stuff, but you can’t help him deal with the guilt and anger. You can’t identify with how deep that runs. You never were betrayed like that. I’m not saying you’re not doing what you can, don’t get me wrong, but you’re so… _Light_.”

“I can’t see how letting Luke run off is going to help him deal with his demons at all,” Rey forced through clenched teeth. Skywalker was right, of course – she had no idea how to ease Luke’s guilt, and even though she had felt his emotions and understood him somewhat, it wasn’t the same. She hadn’t lived through the years of such a pain. Rey hated that the smug ghost was right. “And being Light is not an insult!”

“That’s easy, Obi-Wan is trying to talk some sense into him – he was where Luke is right now. And I didn’t mean it like an insult. You just can’t understand his – or mine – point of view. You’ll never be tempted by the Dark Side like the rest of us because you were not created that way.”

Skywalker fell silent, and a dark, broody expression crossed his face. It took him a moment to shake it off. “I wish I was like you.”

The mood completely shifted after that and Rey looked at Anakin Skywalker and _saw_ him for the first time. “What do you mean by that?”

“Well. I was supposed to bring Balance to the Force, that’s the reason why I was born. Like you, I had no father,” he started, the wry smile returning.

“But Yoda said I am a Kenobi…” Rey cut in, lost. Just the idea of having a name made her insanely happy, not to mention the connection to one of the greatest Jedi Master in history. Perhaps her mother was the link? But the Jedi like most of the galaxy had named the children after the father’s family name, hadn’t they?

“You are, but it’s a bit more complicated.” Skywalker frowned for a moment and then shrugged. “How to put it? Right… You know how babies are made, right?”

“Yeah?” She gaped at him and judging by the fact that the blue of his cheeks deepened in color, she supposed that he was blushing.

“Good… The kid inherits traits from both parents. Take Luke – he has my wife’s soft heart while Leia is more like me, but he looks like me while his sister looks more like my wife. Now, I didn’t have that. When the Force created me, half of me was… not there. It made me unstable, I wasn’t complete. As the product of the Force, both the Dark and Light side were equally present in me, that was the purpose, but I wasn’t balanced as a human being should be. I possibly can’t use it as an excuse, but I spent the majority of my life at war with myself.”

Rey was silent as she watched him, trying to comprehend what he was saying.

“With you… the Force made some adjustments. It gave you a father – it used Obi-Wan’s imprint in the Force as a model, so when you were born, you had traits of your mother and him in you. Any blood test would confirm that he is your father. You speak like him, you have his sass, his ultimate goodness.”

“What about my mother?” Rey asked softly, overwhelmed. She couldn’t remember her face, her voice – nothing. With her father, however unconventional that had come to be, she at least had a name and the memories of others. “Is she alive?”

Skywalker’s face was all the answer Rey needed. He slowly shook his head and Rey swallowed. It wasn’t a surprise – she had stopped expected someone to come for her, she really had. Still, it was a strange feeling – should she mourn the person she couldn’t remember? She certainly regret not being able to.

“Her name was Jashi and she died giving birth to you. She was young, vibrant, and fearless like you – and every time you look into the mirror, you’ll see her face. No other family from her side, I’m sorry.”

“Tell me more about my father,” she said next, careful to remember every word he had just said. “And the Force machinations.”

“Right, back to explaining. Obi-Wan is what a Jedi should be, and you inherited all of that. The Force gifted you with strong Light predispositions. You may hate, you may get angry, you may be afraid, and you are a bit reckless but, Rey, my dear, with Obi-Wan’s genes in you, I can’t imagine anything would tempt you enough to fall.” Skywalker rose to his feet and paced around the hut once before he sat down back again. “I’m afraid I screwed a lot of things but I can never forgive myself for infecting my children with such Dark tendencies.”

“What?” Rey was sure she was imitating fish out of water when she gaped at the Force ghost.

“It runs in their blood,” he sighed. “When they were conceived, I was already turning, and that’s extremely important. Force sensitivity is hereditary, and so is the affinity to either the Dark or Light Side. If we had the children a year earlier…”

He rubbed his face tiredly, a gesture she would hardly associate with a powerful Sith Lord or a legendary Jedi Knight. On Anakin Skywalker it looked human. “I’m extremely proud of Luke, and I understand why Leia refused any kind of training. She is too much like me for her having control over the Force to be safe for the rest of the universe. Training Luke was a risk Obi-Wan and Yoda were both unwilling to take at first, and my son knew that they were wary of him. That’s one of the reasons why he takes it so hard now. And I’m so, so sorry for what happened to Ben – but as you said, the choice ultimately belongs to the individual and both my grandson and me made our choices. I regret them every minute of the afterlife and him? We’ll see.”

Rey stood and went to the ghost, staring down at his handsome face – and saw Luke in his tortured eyes. “It is a pleasure to meet you, Anakin Skywalker.”

He grinned and grabbed her hand, pumping it up and down – it was the most peculiar feeling, like sticking it into a running electric current. “Oh, I really like you! You’ll keep the rest of my family in line! A Skywalker always needs a Kenobi to do that for them. Now, seeing that it’s almost morning – what would say to an early training session?”

“Sounds fine. What are you going to teach me?”

“That depends…” Anakin rose to his feet and shrugged.  “Do you like sand?”

“I hate sand. It’s coarse and irritating and…”

“It gets everywhere!” he finished, beaming. “Hey, Rey, coming to think of it, aren’t we like… siblings? Oh, can you imagine it? I’m your big brother!”

Rey blinked at the ghost and wondered if her father had also had the urge to hit the Skywalkers over their heads so often. She supposed some things _ran_ in the families.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, this has just reached the point where random characters decide they want to be in there, completely disregarding my carefully constructed plot, and just dive right into the story. I hope you all like my take on Anakin – I honestly don’t know where he came from, but here he is. Also, Obi wanted to have a closer relationship with Rey and who am I to deny the poor dear anything?  
> Lastly, Kylo’s sob story about Uncle Luke trying to kill him in TLJ. I have some issues with that part of the movie explaining how Ben is just a misunderstood little boy whose Master failed him. Well. Kylo’s nicknamed a “Jedi Killer,” and I like to think that this is what would have happened if Luke went to his own room that night and didn’t go to check on Ben first. Actually, I am thinking about writing a Rey/Luke story where Luke managed to subdue Kylo – totally AU. Anyone interested in that?


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Anakin tries to be a good teacher, and Luke and Rey have a talk.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m sorry for not replying to your comments lately – I’ve been sick these past few days, so be patient with me. Now, enjoy :)

Rey ate her modest breakfast in solitude; Anakin had disappeared to ‘check’ on his old Master and Luke who were according to him in the ruins of the Temple. She welcomed the opportunity to sort through the mess of her thoughts and feelings. As she was chewing the small portion of her seaweed salad, she couldn’t stop thinking about how her Master was faring.

She supposed it spoke volumes about her personality and where her loyalties were if the only thing that kept her mind busy was the thought of her Master’s wellbeing – not that she didn’t spare a moment to mull over the events of the last night, but there wasn’t much to think about.

All of it had just clicked into place for Rey as if a part of her had known her entire life that this had been coming. The ways of the Force worked in mysterious ways, and she wasn’t about to question it. It had led her here, brought her friends and family and a place to belong to and was further providing the tools Rey needed to become all she had been meant to be. The only thing, it seemed, the Force demanded in return was to do something Rey wanted to do anyway – bring the First Order down and keep the peace.

Luke, on the other hand, needed more of her attention than the rest of the galaxy right now. The vision of the fall of the New Jedi Order had been horrifying, and Rey had wanted so much to be there for her friend, but it looked like _he_ had been the one who hadn’t wanted her help. What Luke had done next still made Rey tremble, and she couldn’t stop comparing how Luke’s order in the Force had felt similar to the way Ren had tried to bend her mind.

Helpless, that’s how she had felt, and Rey hated the feeling with all she was.

She tried to let go of the sense of betrayal that had slipped into her heart and kept lurking at the back of her mind. She had never thought Luke would use the Force on her – she had been so used to him _not_ being in contact with the Force that even the idea that he was able to use mind tricks was foreign to her.

If she felt betrayed, which she knew was a bit irrational – how did that make him feel on top of everything?

“Rey?” Anakin’s appearance startled her from her musings. The Force ghost wore a worried expression and gone was the handsome young man – he looked close to his forties with shorter hair, and the scar on his face was more prominent. Apparently, Luke was not doing well.

“Hey, little sister. Let’s get you trained, what do you say?” he asked, trying for a playful tone and failing miserably. “Grab the old relic of a ‘saber and come with me.”

Rey tried to suppress her concern about Luke and followed him outside the hut. They were silent as they trekked to the training platform and she had to bite her tongue so she wouldn’t ask about what he had seen which had him worried so.

“I think you must be fed up with the katas,” he said, dropped his outer cloak and assumed a fighting stance, his lightsaber coming to life soundlessly. “What do you say to a friendly duel or two?”

Rey gaped at him and watched the translucent heap of dark fabric on the ground. Then she glanced up at Anakin’s face and frowned. She was quite certain that the morning light was streaming through the ghost.

“I didn’t know you can interact with things.”

“Of course I can!” Anakin grinned smugly. “All Force ghosts can to some degree influence the real world – we are a manifestation of the Force, after all – plus you and I are cut from the same cloth. Literarily. I’m probably the only one you can duel with which is the best thing for you, really, seeing that I was not only one of the best Knights in the entire history of the Jedi Order, but also one of the most powerful Sith Lords ever.”

She was a bit wary as she stood across from him and activated her own weapon. From the whole Skywalker family, Luke must be the only who was humble – even Leia was always confident in her abilities and had no troubles bossing people around.

“Ready?” he asked almost soothingly, and then he lunged forward. Rey parried the blow and their blades connected with a soft hiss. The strength of his attack sent Rey stumbling back, a stunned expression on her face.

“I wasn’t lying, sis. Now get ready, I’m not holding back!”

True to his word, Anakin Skywalker wasn’t holding back – he dueled as Rey supposed he had lived as a young Jedi Knight – with passion and fortitude. She found herself enjoying every parry, feint, and block, laughing with him at his attics as he had her turning in circles or forcing her to jump up on the high rocks on the edge of the platform.

“You can do better than this! I know you can! Feel the Force!” he called. “Let it fill you up! Yes, like that! Good!”

The feeling which had been slowly building up in her was incredible. She buzzed with power; every fiber of her being was in sync with her movements. They dueled for a long time, Rey was breathing hard, sweat was dripping from her forehead, and her muscles ached – but she felt like she could go on for hours and hours. The Force _sang_ inside her.

“Great! Let it guide you! Good!”

Anakin lunged at her head and at the same time moved a large boulder to knock her off her feet. Rey felt the Force in her to rise up like a tidal wave, and she let it go. Her body leaped up into the air, she flipped backward and landed at a safe distance from her opponent.

“Well done!” Anakin grinned and deactivated his lightsaber, adding in a purposefully deep voice, “Welcome to the beginner’s dueling techniques, my young apprentice.”

So that was what had Luke been trying to explain the other day about opening herself to the Force, Rey thought and grinned. Then she collapsed where she stood, her legs trembling from exhaustion, her arms feeling like lead. Her lungs were on fire.

The ghost dropped to the ground next to her and observed Rey as she just stayed on her back, panting. “Oh, I forgot about that. Try not to die, and you’ll be fine in a day or four.”

“What’s that?” she asked when she was able to control her breathing.

“We’ve been dueling for hours,” he said sheepishly. “It’s my fault – I forgot that you weren’t on the level of a Jedi apprentice and _not_ fully connected to the Force all the time. That’s your body disagreeing with the abuse you have just put it through. The more you’ll practice, the less it will happen as the level of the Force inside your body stabilizes.”

“Time flies when you are having fun,” she grumbled and closed her eyes. It took Rey some time before she was able to move and then she just trudged back to the hut slowly with Anakin following closely behind.

“I’m pleasantly surprised by your skills, Rey,” he said when they reached the hut, and he sat to observe her as she prepared a quick snack. “You and Luke managed to squeeze years’ worth of practice into three months. If we keep this up, you’ll be ready to face the Trials in a few months time.”

“What Trials?” Rey looked up from her dried fish and blinked at him.

“Trials a Padawan must go through before they can become a Knight, of course.”

They spent the afternoon talking about the Old Order and Anakin’s adventures during the Clone Wars. He had conveniently skipped his Trials due to his role in the fight – much to Yoda’s displeasure – and was therefore unable to tell her more about them. They would be solely in the hands of the small Force ghost.

The evening snuck upon them unexpectedly, and Rey went to sleep to her own cot after a moment of hesitation. It felt wrong to snuggle under the heap of blankets on Luke’s without him there. Not to mention she was still upset with him because he had run off without giving either of them a chance to address the mind trick, to clear the air between them. As Rey was making herself comfortable, she finally realized the purpose behind Anakin’s continuous presence throughout the day. He had been keeping her mind off Luke, and now she was so tired that she fell asleep almost the second her head hit the pillow.

It was the middle of the night when a quiet voice reached her, whispering timidly, “Rey?”

She startled, and her eyes remained closed, but she reached out through the Force towards the source of the voice. The space appeared empty. Only then did she looked up towards the door of the hut and blinked sleepily at the figure standing there. He had the hood of his cloak up and was leaning tiredly against the doorframe, his shoulders slumped, and his left hand clenched into a tight fist.

She was aware of his eyes on her as he tried to read her expression but doubted he succeeded. She didn’t know how she felt right now. Rey was relieved that he was alright and that he came home but at the same time, that tiny part of her was wary of his presence and what he planned to do. Run off again?

“I’m sorry.” The voice was all wrong – hoarse, almost inaudible, tired. “I’ll just grab a blanket and go… I… I won’t force you to endure my presence a minute longer.”

 Rey watched him silently as he shuffled inside, his movements sluggish, and wondered if he had gotten any sleep or eaten anything while he had been gone. Probably not judging by the way he was wavering on his feet.

“Where will you go?” she asked, as apprehensively as he had. She hated how the things were between them now. She wanted back the comfortable closeness they had shared before.

Luke stopped and hesitated before he answered, “To the storage cave, I think.”

“But you’ll be somewhere inside, right? Not… not doing anything stupid?”

She knew they both remembered the times when he had been in the ocean with water reaching to his neck, or standing over the edge of a cliff in the dead of night – contemplating dark, dangerous, _unbearable_ thoughts. While Rey knew all of the Force visions had been just dreams, she also knew that they had reflected the reality of his life on Ahch-To.

“You’ll be safe, won’t you?”

He bowed his head and struggled for composure, Rey could see his shoulder shaking as he took in a long, ragged breath. “I… yes… I’ll… Oh, Force, Rey! I’m so, so…”

Rey was out of the bed before he finished choking out her name, cursing herself. She resolutely wrapped her arms around his back and guided them back to the cot, ignoring the protests of her sore muscles as she supported Luke’s weight. “I know.”

She did, of course, she did. There hadn’t been a moment when she had thought Luke had done it on purpose. Logically, Rey knew all of that. She just had trouble convincing the part that flinched when she had heard him, the tiny piece of her who had always been suspicious of strangers and remembered that it had been Luke who had been Ren’s first teacher.

The hood slipped from his head. Bloodshot eyes stared at her in anguish, framed with deep shadows of exhaustion. Rey cupped Luke’s face in her palms and staring into his eyes, said, “I know you didn’t want to hurt me. You _didn’t_. I was shocked, and it reminded me of Ren, but I know you didn’t mean to do that. It’s alright.”

“I saw you flinch when you realized it was me…”

“I did. I can’t help it just as you couldn’t help your reaction last night.”

“How can you be so forgiving? I betrayed your trust, Rey. Using the Force on you – _you_ of all people…” Luke struggled for breath, choking on his emotions as he stared at her desperately.

“It’s fine, you weren’t yourself.” Rey had known he had taken the events of the previous night badly, but she didn’t expect such a level of pain and misery on her behalf. “I forgive you.”

“I… I swore never to use the Force on someone I-” he bit the inside of his cheek and Rey was sure he drew blood. He shielded his eyes with the good hand next and tried to put some distance between them. “I swore to never use the Force so out of control of my powers and emotions.”

 “It just happened, Luke. It was only a small mind trick.” As she watched his expression to crumble further, Rey doubted that any of her words had any effect on Luke. They had been at the same place three months ago. She felt as if she had been repeating empty phrases over and over again without _reaching_ him. She just desperately wished to because the helplessness was too much to take and Rey knew she would snap sooner or later. She hated this; how he had just left without saying anything, how she couldn’t do a thing to help him through those emotions, how her own temper was starting to get in the way.

“Don’t say that. It never should have happened. I took away your free will.” Luke ran his fingers through his hair and turned to look at her, fear craved in the lines of his face. “Don’t you understand? I used the Force _against_ you.”

His damned guilt and shame and self-loathing, the fear of turning to the Dark Side, she thought unhappily. They were talking in circles, it seemed. She reached for his hand, holding it tightly. She wanted to be able to feel him through their bond, to understand him better but being the stubborn man he was, the Force connection was cut off. She couldn’t help him if he didn't let her. No one could help him if he didn't let them. “I should be the one upset here, Luke, and don’t think I wasn’t… But I don’t know what is going through your head. Please, explain it to me. Help me understand why this is so distressing for you.”

His eyes brimmed with tears and Luke swallowed before he answered. His voice was low and broken. “I had a vision once, of my parents’ last meeting. My father… he… raised his hand and Force choked my mother in his anger at Obi-Wan. It induced the labor. Her body couldn’t take the strain, and she died only seconds after giving birth to Leia. If he hadn’t used the Force… If he had been able to control himself… How can you ever trust me not to harm you? How can I ever trust _myself?_ ”

 “Oh, Luke. You’re not your father,” was all Rey said as she embraced him once more. Luke struggled for a few moments before the need for comfort won, and he returned the hug, sagging against Rey with a great sigh. He didn’t cry, but she had caught a glimpse of his face contorted in pain and held him tighter. “You won’t hurt me, I know you won’t.”

Eventually, Luke fell asleep, but Rey stayed wide awake. Staring at the ceiling of their hut, she thought about the man whose ghost had spent the day with her, and Luke and Leia and her own place in the dramatic events which seemed to never leave the Skywalkers in peace. It looked like a horrifying nightmare – as if the Force had been punishing the entire family for Anakin’s misdeeds. When the thought entered her mind, though, Rey knew it was wrong. The Force wasn’t like that at all. Perhaps all the tragedy befalling the Skywalkers had been caused by the unbalance in the Force. Everything in the whole galaxy had been going downhill since the moment the Balance had been disrupted, and Rey thought the Skywalkers suffered the most because of their close connection to the Force itself. There just wasn’t any other possible answer. The fate of their family was closely connected to the future of the galaxy – just like hers was now.

The Force had made sure Rey was good at fixing things, and she would do precisely that to the whole universe – starting with the family of her predecessor, whose haunted eyes she would never forget. There had been enough suffering to last all of them for several lifetimes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, guys, I have some troubles deciding my next songfic, so I hoped you could help me with that. I was thinking about experimenting a bit and work on Rey/Luke from a slightly different perspective… actually a whole new project – a series of unrelated one-shots featuring, ehm, ‘bad boy’ Luke and or ‘bad girl’ Rey. Nothing too OCC, but mostly rated M for various reasons, where our favorite couple has had it with the rest of the galaxy ;) Would anyone be interested?  
> Oh, and the AU work I mentioned last time? It’s going to happen :)


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey, Luke, and the Force ghosts enjoy a brief period of peace.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I’m really sorry for the long wait, but I was ill for almost two weeks. That might be the reason why this chapter speeds things up a bit; I’m quite impatient to move the plot onward. Now, enjoy!

Rey woke up pain-free, late and alone the next morning but she heard voices from the outside. She reached out into the Force and was rewarded with a small warm greeting in reply – it was faint as if barely there, and she thought it was of a faded bronze hue. Then there was a sudden surge in the Force, and another muted presence greeted her – the familiar quicksilver of Anakin Skywalker.

Rey changed from her sleeping attire and stepped out of the hut. There on the stone bench, she saw Luke and two Force ghost. Anakin was facing her and waved, grinning. Both Luke and the other spirit turned, and Rey smiled as she was approaching.

“Morning, gentlemen.”

“Good morning, Rey,” Luke replied softly and his eyes, still slightly red, briefly lit up at the sight of her. Then her focus shifted to the man who just gazed at her with fondness and – dared she think it? – _pride_.

“Hello there,” he said gently, and Rey’s heart skipped a beat. They really sounded alike. “Seeing that the Skywalkers are content to just watch us stumble through the introduction alone, I’ll take the initiative. I’m Obi-Wan Kenobi.”

He stepped around the bench and strode toward her. Rey was amazed to notice that they also shared the same smile. She had her father’s smile, and saw him standing right in front of her; for a moment, Rey forgot how to speak and just stared at him. Obi-Wan wore traditional Jedi robes and appeared quite young – not like the old and wise Jedi Master from Luke’s stories but like the always faithful brother and role model Anakin had described the previous day.

“Rey.”

“Rey Kenobi” Obi-Wan corrected her gently, and his eyes shone. Then he boldly reached for her with his hand, and when Rey grasped it in her palm, he grinned – and the smile was almost blinding. She gasped when Obi-Wan squeezed her fingers and his Force presence gently nudged hers.

“I can feel you!” It wasn’t the same like shaking hands with Anakin had been – she actually felt the warmth of his hand, the dry skin of his palm, the relaxing effect of his full Force presence slowly wrapping itself around her.

“I believe the Force is showing us a bit of goodwill,” he replied and stepped slightly closer. “Would it be too presumptuous of me to ask my daughter for a hug?”

Would it? She had waited her _whole_ life for this moment, never daring to believe it would actually come.

“No!” Rey flew into his arms and buried her face in the robes of a solid figure instead of just going through the translucent apparition of a Force ghost. The rest of the universe faded away at the moment when she basked in the presence of her father – gentle and affectionate, resembling the light of a setting sun in color. The fabric of his robes was soft, and he smelled of salty breeze, and freshly cut grass and Rey found herself fighting tears. She felt him chuckle and his hold tightened when he felt her shaking. Rey was suddenly overwhelmed. She was being held by her father – for the first and last time in her life.

“Oh, shh, precious girl, everything is as it was supposed to be. Don’t cry, Rey, be strong.” He whispered and stroked Rey’s hair soothingly. “There are many more steps for you to take and know that you’ll never be alone. You never were. As unconventional as our connection seems to be, it doesn’t change the fact that you are a Kenobi, my family. You didn’t think I would allow the Force to create a daughter of mine and not watch over her? Silly thought, isn’t?”

Those words, that soft voice whispering in her ear when she had first picked up the lightsaber, when the Force had stirred within her for the first time – she had known him. Obi-Wan had always been with her, hadn’t he? Rey had never been alone. She never would be – even after the light of her life would fade, she would join all the Jedi Knights who had lived and fought before her. She would meet them all again for there was no death, just the Force.

Rey furiously rubbed her eyes, drying the tears, and stepped from Obi-Wan’s embrace as she felt his form start to dissipate. His torso was turning into the translucent blue of a ghost, and Rey looked into his face, trying to remember every detail. He had laugh lines around his eyes, which were grey like the ocean, and his hair and beard were light brown – in the sunlight almost auburn.

Her father smiled at her and reached one last time to caress Rey’s cheek – the solidness of his fingers gradually turning into a feather-like touch until all she felt was a slight tingle of his Force signature before even that dimmed into only a faint echo of its former radiance.

She felt the tears stung her eyes anew as the last traces of color disappeared from her father’s face.

“Ah, and the Chosen One is the only one who doesn’t get to hug the Chosen One,” proclaimed Anakin and shrugged when Rey looked in his direction. Who would have thought how sweet Darth Vader could be – in his own, annoying way.

“Are you alright?” Luke appeared at her side, lending her his strength with just a touch of his left hand. She grasped his arm for support and felt him intertwine their fingers. A small blush covered his cheeks as he met amused eyes of his father and he coughed when he tried to avoid the questioning look Obi-Wan gave him.

 “You know, son, you could actually know the answer to that question. Just lose those shackles you’ve put on yourself.”

Her Master’s face turned into a grimace, and he exhaled loudly. “I think we have already discussed that.”

“Yes, and you refused to hear more about it. Obi-Wan! I never was this difficult!”

“Yes, yes. You were much worse. Luke at least listens before he goes off to do what he wants to do. Now, we can settle that later. Rey, you are free to go to get your breakfast. Meet us at the training platform in half an hour. Come along, Luke, I’ll have a word with you.”

Her father’s eyes twinkled at her despite the stern tone, and he strode away, expecting his orders to be followed.

The Skywalkers exchanged resigned glances. Rey then caught a glimpse of the young man Luke had been once when her friend briefly raised his eyes skywards before he followed Obi-Wan, grumbling something like, “As the Master wishes.”

Rey stood there for a moment with Anakin watching the two slowly disappear from sight, apparently deep in discussion. The ghost then turned to her, a perplexed expression on his face. “Why do I feel like a Padawan again?”

“Probably because you behave like one.”

“I don’t appreciate the sass coming from someone so much younger than me. Show me some respect, baby sister. I’m dead after all. Oh, and you have snot over your face.”

“I do not!”

“Oh, yeah! All over your _entire_ face!” he said and disappeared before she could reply.

“I hate when he does that!” she said to the empty air and went back inside the hut. In thirty minutes, she found herself on the training platform, eyes wide.

Her father and Anakin were locked in a fierce duel. The style Anakin was using was much more aggressive than anything she had seen so far, and the way her father responded was efficient and elegant. He matched every angry attack with a calm counterattack, growing more and more sophisticated in his defenses as Anakin became more violent and forceful.

Luke was sitting cross-legged at the edge of the platform, and she made her way toward him slowly, her eyes never leaving the fighting figures. They were laughing – trying to cut off each other’s body parts, obviously, but laughing all the same.

“What is going on here?”

“Ah, Rey.” He gave her a smile and made room for her on the cloak, so she didn’t have to sit on the bare ground. He appeared a bit tense as he offered, “Take a seat. We are supposed to watch them. That’s our lesson for the morning.”

“Our lesson?” She flopped down next to him and leaned against his side as if nothing was wrong. She hoped they had gotten over the unfortunate mind trick incident. To her relief, Luke automatically put his arm behind Rey’s back to make more room for her, his eyes returning to the ghosts without another apology. The two Jedi didn’t seem to pay them much attention.

“You’ve just missed Yoda – he wishes us to learn about Form II before he starts to teach us more about the ‘fine aspects of the Force.’ Our fathers decided that giving a presentation how to use it would be the best way. Mine decided that he didn’t want to wait for you to arrive. Because, obviously, you are the one who _doesn’t_ need to learn the combat techniques created to duel a Dark Side user.”

“I really wonder how the two of you can even be related.” Rey saw him glance down at her face with a soft expression and whispered, “You are nothing like him, Luke.”

“Okay, if you think so.” He smiled slowly, and he ducked his head, avoiding her gaze. “I’ll keep that in mind when… the thoughts get too persistent.”

Rey nodded silently, and they watched their fathers fight. “He wasn’t lying – he really is good.”

“Father? He was one of the best duelists of the Order. Only Obi-Wan had been able to beat him.”

After another ten minutes, Rey leaned her head against Luke’s shoulder and tried to ignore the way her eyelids started to droop. When she attempted to suppress a yawn, Luke spoke, “I’m sorry for… ah… waking you last night.”

“We’re not having that conversation again.”

“Of course.”

“I mean it. I’ll resort to violence if you won’t stop doing that to us every time something difficult pops out. When that happens, we will talk about it, alright?” Rey leaned back to look at him closely. She wasn’t afraid to use her growing powers the way Luke seemed to be. “I will never try to hurt you, just as I know you’ll never hurt me – but I just may tackle you to ground and make you talk to me if you annoy me enough.”

Luke returned her gaze, his face serious. At that moment, Rey was struck with the image before her – in the sunlight, Luke’s eyes were beautiful. _He_ was beautiful – inside and out. How could he ever doubt his own goodness?

“Consider me sufficiently warned.” His hand found hers, and he held it gently. “So, what mischief did you and my father get up to yesterday? I was surprised to find the hut standing.”

“Oh, we spent the day dueling and gossiping about the Clone Wars.” Rey chuckled and shook her head, remembering her first and very much unimpressed reaction to Anakin Skywalker. Then she hesitated and touched Luke’s cheek, making him turn to her. “Have you talked with my father? About the night at the Temple?”

Luke blinked, his expression darkening. She could feel how he tensed up as his eyes flickered to the horizon. “Yes.”

“Did it help?” she whispered and sandwiched his good left between her palms.

“Yes,” he answered softly, and Rey sneaked her arm around Luke’s waist and snuggled closer. She waited until he relaxed again and then murmured, “I’m glad it did.”

He brought her closer and kissed her forehead, his long beard scratching Rey’s nose. “Me too.”

That was the first day of their training under the watchful and often amused gazes of the famous and very much dead Jedi Master Kenobi and Knight Skywalker. Master Yoda appeared only sporadically at random time intervals, scolding all of them as if they were unruly children. Rey could tell that Luke had some troubles getting used to the new routine the emergence of the Force ghosts had established but eventually, they settled into their training. She could also see that Anakin had been right. Their appearance alone had forced Luke to confront his fears and the anger that had been festering, hidden, in him for the last decade.

The mornings started with their customary run around the Temple Island, but then they focused on dueling. Rey’s combat skills were getting better with each passing day – with three (four) seasoned fighters giving her pointers and their undivided attention, she didn’t even have much choice but to get better. Yoda usually offered surprisingly dirty fighting tips when he graced them with his presence.

In the early afternoons, Rey and Luke gathered the food as usual and then both went through their kata training with the two ghosts bickering in the background, and Yoda occasionally cackling madly at them. Practicing the Forms was still Rey’s favorite part of the training – the sight of Luke executing his katas now with the Force swirling around him was breathtaking, and she had to often remind herself to focus on her own movements. After Rey and Luke mastered Form II, she continued with Form III while Luke perfected his battle set – it so happened that his own creation resembled the advanced Form V and he needed to add just a few adjustments to it.

The early evenings were dedicated to meditations. The small Force ghost usually didn’t visit them during those lessons, and Rey was only happy he didn’t. She disliked meditations and didn’t want to be on the receiving end of one of Yoda’s lectures. She didn’t have the same level of patience as her father or Luke seemed to have and suffered through the hours of stillness only due to the knowledge that Anakin, who had offered to be her guide in this endeavor, suffered the same way. It seemed that the Force had created them both using the same blueprint. The ghost who had become her friend and the annoying older brother he had proclaimed himself to be, was also used to get things done as quickly as possible. Slaving away on a desert planet for food so others can get rich had thought them that lesson.

Obi-Wan and Luke went to meditate to the ruins of the Temple, and Rey was glad they did. Her friend had a hard time submitting to this particular request because it meant he had to open himself up to the Force fully and Rey knew that he was calmer and more focused when she wasn’t around in those times.

Their bond was acting up every time they attempted to meditate close to each other. She felt her presence in the Force reach for Luke’s, and his responded, automatically weaving together, disrupting the whole point of the meditations.

Mealtimes in the evenings were loudly affairs, and the time Rey cherished the most. The moments when the four or five of them settled around the fire were precious. Her father was a strict taskmaster, and Anakin tried his best to teach them so when they stepped out of their respective roles and become human, Rey had the opportunity to get to know them. Master Yoda always remained in the role of their mentor but Rey kind of liked his sense of humor and seeing Yoda and her father trading sophisticated insults was simply hilarious.  Luke, as he had confessed, enjoyed talking to his father, too – even though the ghost of Anakin Skywalker often exasperated the rest of them with his silliness.

The nights were quiet and calm. Left to their own devices, Rey and Luke continued in their habit of sharing the bed without a second thought. It wasn’t about the cold but safety and comfort which had been in short supply for the two Force users. Besides, on Rey’s cot were usually heaps of other things which didn’t fit into the cabinets or were used so often there was no point it putting away.  

One early summer evening, around four months into the new training schedule, Rey’s world changed radically. Anakin, who had been growing restless and impatient, growled at her and rose from his cross-legged position. “That’s terrible. This is getting us nowhere!”

“I’m trying! It’s just…” Rey buried her face in her hands and released a huff. “I don’t know what I’m doing wrong.”

Her teacher collapsed back to the ground soundlessly and stared at her. “I know what’s wrong.”

Rey was unable to enter the deep meditative trance and release her emotions into the Force. She was able to lift small objects and keep them floating around the hut, but anything bigger than a bowl was resisting. She already knew how to map her surroundings with the Force and dim her presence in it. However, when she tried to connect with it the way Anakin had described to her, something was holding her back, tugging her away from the peace that was the Force, disrupting her concentration. It had gotten to the point it was influencing her combat training – she wasn’t able to use any Force shoves and pushes in a fight because she lacked the deeper attunement to the Force which would make those natural as breathing.

Rey just looked at him, begging the ghost to continue with her eyes.

“It’s Luke,” he sighed tiredly and rubbed the back of his neck in agitation, not meeting her gaze. “Obi-Wan is also getting nervous. Luke just doesn’t want to advance and reach the deeper meditative level. The connection you two share is what stops you every time because you are pulling him along and he doesn’t want that, so he’s pulling back.”

“Luke’s getting better.” Rey frowned. She could feel his presence sometimes, faint as it was, still guarded and very close to his body, but still. She had been able to catch an echo of his emotions, and they consisted of determination, trepidation, occasional annoyance at his father, contentment and affection, fierce loyalty.

“Of course he is. He wouldn’t be able to execute Form V at all if he was not opening up to the Force, but he just doesn’t want to meditate, confront his emotions. Luke’s very good at masking the things he doesn’t want us to feel from him.”

Another family trait, Rey thought and nodded. It wasn’t surprising in the slightest, Skywalkers were by now notoriously known for not dealing well with their emotions. To reach such a deep level of meditation, one must be able to let go of their feelings, to release them into the Force and just float in its vastness. To be able to do that, one must acknowledge them and be honest about it first. If he had been suppressing his anger and fear instead of dealing with it…

“What are we going to do, then?” Rey asked and stared at Anakin with determination. He looked surprised, but then he just grinned and motioned for her hand as he moved to sit closer.

“We’re gonna bend the rules a bit. I can give you a lift, so to speak, straight into the Force. It’s considered cheating because each student is supposed to find their own way, but I’m getting tired of this. We need to get moving, Rey. I know you feel it, too. What do you say?”

Rey stared into his eyes for a moment before closing hers, letting go of every thought and emotion she had, speeding through the meditation to the point when the draw backward appeared. Then she grabbed Anakin’s outstretched hand resolutely. The same feeling of electricity ran through her palm and spread through her body as she felt Anakin’s presence enveloping her. Rey allowed him to gather her close, holding her securely, and just _pull_.

Her mind was ripped from her body at lightspeed and thrown into an ocean of peace and serenity where anything was possible, where anything existed. It was bright and white and dim and dark at once. It was everything, and it was nothing. Rey felt like she was a part of it; it filled her soul up, and when there was no space left, it just continued – opening new doors in her mind, chambers she wasn’t aware even existed.

After what felt like hours she noticed that she wasn’t alone and Anakin was close, holding lightly onto her. The color of his presence was radiant here – so marvelous, ever-changing shades of grey and silver, and its touch cool and fresh.

 _“Focus on the bonds you have_ ,” he ‘told’ her when he knew she was paying him attention.

Rey knew what he meant. There were several braided strands of varying colors and thickness leading from her – was this glowing golden light really her? One of them pointed to Anakin, one was undoubtedly leading towards her father; the color of the strands consisting of her gold and his bronze. Four bonds were disappearing away from her into the immensity of the Force. And then there was the strongest one which led to Luke.

Luke, whose presence was very close by and was speeding closer.

The first glimpse of him in the Force was startling. He was magnificent – moving colors of blue and green and purple with small streaks of yellow; so lively, bright, and so very warm and tender.

When he got close enough, several tendrils of his presence reached along the bond for Rey and without a conscious thought, she reached back. Then she watched, quite amazed, as those strands first entwined and then _merged_ together with the bond into one single massive thread before she could react. It was an indescribable sensation when her mind touched Luke’s like that, and her whole being trembled in shock and she instinctively tried to draw back.

The feeling was too much, too intense, too intimate – and as the hold, Anakin had on her broke, Rey found herself being hurtled back into her body. She sprawled on the floor of the hut, gasping, heart beating within her chest and Luke’s panicked voice inside her mind calling her name.

She was afraid, unable to move, unable to answer, as the foreign presence inside of her settled in the places of her soul that had been empty. She felt… she felt that pieces of _her_ had been moved elsewhere, like an exchange… and her body didn’t know how to deal with being torn apart and remade in one single moment in time.

Every nerve in her body was on fire, and the frantic pulse of her heart made the organ inside her chest squeeze painfully with every beat. Her lungs didn’t fill with enough air no matter how much she struggled to breathe. Dark spots were dancing before her eyes and everything just _burnt_. Rey was scared but it wasn’t only her own fear that was clouding her mind, she was startled to realize. The chant of _‘No, no, not yet!’_ didn’t belong to her. And there was a spike of irritation, directed at something – or someone – which was definitely not coming from her.

“Rey!” Luke burst into the hut, his bright presence blinding her and Rey wanted to sob in relief at the sight of him. He kneeled down and gathered her into his arms, his hold firm but gentle. “It’s alright. Breathe with me, we have to calm down. Your body is on the verge of shutting down. We need to slow your breathing and heart rate. Please, Rey, stay with me…”

She wanted to answer that she wasn’t going anywhere, ask him why there were gold streaks in his bright rainbow Force presence. She very much wanted to breathe with him but everything around her turned black, and Rey was lost in the blessed darkness of unconsciousness when her body couldn’t take the strain anymore.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I couldn’t leave Master Kenobi out of the fic because Rey and Obi needed that hug. All my favorite Force users need lots and lots of hugs. What do you think about Anakin’s actions? I’m curious about your thoughts, so please, share them with me;)  
> Also, this chapter brings us closer to the end of this part of the story, and that means that Luke’s interlude is coming up soon. There are going to be two more parts, and that’s it. We’re officially in the middle of ‘Like an Ocean.’ I still can’t believe you guys really seem to like this story. Thank you so much :)


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Questions are asked, and answers are given.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello! First of all, I have great news to share :) In 3 or 4 months, my humble self will officially become a published author. One of my original short stories has been accepted for publication, and I wanted to share this with all of you seeing that ‘Ocean’ is the story which brought me back to fiction writing.

Rey was safe and warm, enveloped in the familiar embrace of strong arms and gentle Force presence. Her face was pressed into the coarse fabric that smelled like rain, leather and something light and sweet, the rest of her body being held close to Luke. She could feel every breath he took and the steady beating of his heart.

But something was different – this wasn’t one of their mornings on Ahch-To when she managed to wake before Luke and could bask in comfort the moments between waking and dreaming allowed.

Rey opened her eyes slowly and blinked into the darkness of a… cockpit? Her mind was fuzzy, her thoughts too heavy, and her lips tingled inexplicably. What did that mean? Where were they going? She tensed, panicking a little, and was about to turn her head to look at Luke when the arms around her tightened as a wave of relief which didn’t belong to her washed over her.

“Hello, Rey. I’m glad you rejoined the world of the living, but the space is somewhat limited. Or are you getting uncomfortable?”

“I’m fine.” She settled back against him. Just hearing his voice was enough, she decided and reached around with her senses. Her powers were as sluggish as her thoughts. Luke’s presence was dimmed but still there, carefully tucked around her like a blanket, and as she focused, she really saw gold streaks mixed into the vibrant colors of his Force signature. _Her_ gold streaks, she was sure, because there was a faint brush against her mind that let her know that they were sharing much deeper connection than she had expected to be possible.

The warmth of their bond was soothing, not only wrapped around her but radiating from the inside of her very soul. It was incredible.

“I can feel you inside me,” she whispered and closed her eyes again. Her body was tired and every single one of her muscles hurt. Keeping her eyes open was proving to be too much.

“I feel it too.” He answered, and she could feel his worry as clearly as if the emotion was coming from her. Typical. He expected her to be mad at him. Why exactly? It wasn’t like he had planned on merging their Force signatures together – if that’s what had happened. She wasn’t sure.

“I’m not afraid,” Rey assured him, not knowing if he was able to pick up on her feelings or not. “But I’ll get exasperated if you don’t drop that line of thought immediately.”

She felt his gladness and a touch of humor and snuggled closer, experimentally letting him know how curious she was about their situation. Luke dropped a kiss into her hair and chuckled.

“Are you sure you’re up to it?” His right hand skimmed over her left shoulder blade, and she felt him use the Force to switch several controls on the desk. The space really was a tad limited and with her sleeping on Luke’s lap, there wasn’t much room for him to pilot the X-wing without a little help.

“You are falling asleep on me.”

“I’m not…” She was, and she knew that denying it was pointless. Rey felt she should be more alarmed by their situation – by everything that had happened, but the fuzziness simply wouldn’t allow it. However, she was still too curious to fall asleep again. What had happened to them and why were they leaving Ahch-To so suddenly? It had been their _home_ for the last seven months. Luke wouldn’t do it without having a reason to do so. Just yesterday he hadn’t been comfortable to use the Force outside his training, and now he was flying away from their sanctuary without much as batting an eye – while using the Force for a task as menial as to regulate the temperature inside the starfighter.

“We were discovered, but I am confident we are not being followed.”

There was it again, the spike of irritation which was not quite anger yet and a fierce sense of purpose that overrode every other emotion and thought Luke had, the actual driving force behind his recent actions.

“How?” Rey asked. Moderating her emotions had never been easy, but she hoped that after four months of her father’s influence, she was doing better. Now if she would just be able to concentrate.

Luke remained silent for so long that Rey began slipping gradually back into sleep, but then he heaved a sigh and said, “Our Force bond. When it has been completed, it sent a shockwave through the Force, for a moment revealing our location to every Force-sensitive being in the galaxy.”

“Our Force bond hadn’t been completed before?” Rey was suddenly wide awake and fought the fuzzy blanket over her mind. That idea had never even occurred to her. She also hated that she couldn’t see his face. Luke responded with a wave of sheepishness.

“Ah, no, no, it hadn’t been. I didn’t know much about this sort of Force connection until Yoda explained. A completed Force bond is rare and can be formed only between two individuals with a higher than average midi-chlorian count who are… ah… fully open to its presence. The completion is usually accompanied by a large tremor in the Force that equals a supernova explosion which cannot be contained. Yoda, Obi-Wan and I agreed that it would be best to wait with the process until a later date. I hope you understand why it was out of the question while were hiding on Ahch-To.”

Rey was stunned and bit her lower lip as thoughts rushed through her mind at the speed of light. That had been the reason why their bond had been acting up during the meditations, why the tendrils of their Force presence had always been trying to reach each other – so that the bond could be completed. Why Luke had refused to delve deeper into the Force and tugged her back every single time she had been almost succeeding. Rey had known he had been doing better which meant that Anakin had lied to her. The _four_ of them had. She couldn’t believe that – hadn’t expected that. Rey, always wary of strangers, had trusted them.

“Luke, why didn’t you tell me about it?” Rey clenched her teeth, her irritation growing as she felt his hesitation. “Luke, answer me.”

“I didn’t want to put you in a stressful situation,” he confessed, and Rey’s annoyance melted away as Luke’s sincere remorse reached her. “You were so happy with the speed of your progress, getting to know your father and mine, discovering the wonders of the Force at your own pace. Seeing it through your eyes made me… so… optimistic. I enjoyed seeing you so happy. What would you do with the knowledge? Push yourself harder, train more, rest and enjoy those months of respite less. What is ahead of us? It won’t be pretty. I wanted you to have pleasant memories to help you get through the difficult times ahead.”

“And Anakin? He tricked me.”

“Yes. My father decided he didn’t like Ahch-To anymore and pointed a large glowing sign at us.”

“Why would he do that?” Rey took a deep breath and pushed Luke’s anger away from her mind, replacing it with her bewilderment. She actually wasn’t surprised that Anakin had done something so dangerous and reckless – and wasn’t even surprised he had manipulated her into doing it. Not that she appreciated Anakin’s lying to her but she kind of understood why he had done that. The time for training had been limited a Rey could honestly admit that she was getting impatient. But Luke hadn’t been ready to re-join the Resistance, had he? “Luke?”

“He felt that I was holding you back in your training. That you are ready to be knighted as soon as you are connected to the Force as a Jedi should be. He’s impatient to end this phase of the war. Being a Force ghost apparently has its advantages because both Obi-Wan and my father have seen what the Force has in store for us and it seems that he simply can’t wait to get to that point.”

“You know you can’t actually be angry at him for wanting those things, right? I at least can appreciate he made you tell me the truth.” Rey asked gently and managed to put her hand on Luke’s chest, over his heart, sending waves of calm through their bond. She had been a bit angry at Luke but not anymore. How could she after his words? “Aren’t you curious about the future? It must be something good.”

“My father places too much faith into his visions – the future is ever changing, what he has seen is only one of the possible scenarios the Force happens to favor as a possible outcome.” Luke covered her hand with his good one and relaxed again. “Not to mention that his actions put you at unnecessary risk. The shock of bonding was almost too much for your body; you weren’t used to so much of the Force inside you when my presence has merged with yours. For a moment, your heart just stopped. Even now I can feel how you fight the aftereffects.”

His concern for her was lying heavily on him, she could tell, and Rey let him know how much she appreciated it. For several minutes they were silent, and the simple fact that they were both alive and well was soothing enough for Rey to be able to alleviate his distress.

The way the feelings floated between them was different from before and yet the same. She couldn’t put her finger on it. During the Force visions, it had been easy to recognize which feeling belonged to who but now, Luke’s emotions were coming to her through the bond and resonated inside of her own heart faintly, mixing with hers and returning back to him. It was like an endless loop.

“What exactly does this Force bond mean?” she asked casually and felt Luke’s surprise at the way how calmly she was taking it all. Why wouldn’t she? Everything was how it was supposed to be. Couldn’t he see? She had faith in the Force, and it had connected them like this for a purpose.

“The Force visions we have experienced are just one of the aspects a full bond has. I frankly didn’t expect it to be ever like this upon completion, but here we are. It links us together through space so no matter the distance, I’ll always be aware of where you are and how you fare and vice versa – unless there would be some sort of shielding. We can use it to communicate inside of our minds, even pick up stray thoughts and feelings, and I have heard that some Jedi Masters were able to join their powers which granted them a greater pool of strength. In battle, the bond could prove invaluable.”

In life, it meant that no matter where she would be, Luke would always be with her. It was a giddy thought.

“Before you start feeling like that, there are drawbacks,” Luke warned her. “If one of us is captured, this bond can be used to break the other; the Dark Side has rituals designed to destroy the minds of Force-bonded individuals, to drive them mad or lead them to the Dark Side just by manipulating the bond.”

His emotions shifted, darkened. Rey caught an echo of his unhappiness and embarrassment before it was swallowed by the familiar fear which clouded everything else.

“Is this how you feel about it?” she asked timidly and hated how easy it was for him to know the hurt she felt in that moment. Was he unhappy about the completion of the Force bond? Had this been one of the reasons why he had been holding back in the meditations?

“No!” His hold tightened, and Luke shook his head, obviously reading her with ease. Their emotions whirled between them chaotically before they settled on awkwardness, this time coming from both of them. “Force-bonds are something extraordinary, Rey, and I am honored to share one with you. The thought that you are tied to me in such a way is what’s making me slightly… uncomfortable. Just think about it. Are you happy to know that from now on, I’ll always be lurking at the back of your mind, no matter what you’ll be doing? That I’ll be privy to your emotions? We’ll have no privacy, Rey. You are very young, and there’s so much of life for you to… ehm… discover…”

Luke’s embarrassment rose, he fell silent and cleared his throat. Rey blinked and felt her cheeks redden as the implication of his words reached her. Was Luke honestly implying what she thought he was?

“Ah… So, you mean to tell me that when two people have a Force connection, they… lose… their privacy? That’s… I mean… All the Jedi before…?”

“That’s actually rather disconcerting thought, isn’t it?” Luke said and they burst into laughter and Rey was suddenly glad to know that the Jedi Knights had been celibate – with the noticeable exception of Skywalker senior.

“But no, of course not! The strength of the bond depends on the Force-sensitivity of the two individuals connected. According to Yoda, Force bonds are usually not constantly active as ours seems to be, requiring a bit of an effort on either side. I’m afraid that a bond of this particular power hasn’t been seen yet. I’ll have to think about ways how to lessen its potency.”

“Until then…”

“Until then I am sorry for any distress I’ll cause you. And don’t hit me, I know you’re thinking about it right now.”

Rey huffed and shifted, moving slightly higher, so her head rested against the crook of Luke’s neck. His beard was tickling her cheek. “Can it be severed?”

He hesitated before he said with a quiet sense of contentment which he had been unable to mask. “Not fully, not even after death.”

Rey shared the same emotion about it and was only happy to let him know. Being connected to Luke in the Force like this wasn’t bad. She couldn’t imagine her life without the warmth and colorfulness of his presence anymore. From Rey’s point of view, she had just gotten the most precious gift.

“Where are we going?” she asked next.

Luke displayed amused disbelief at her ability to take all of this in stride and answered, “Back to the Resistance. There’s really no point in treading water anymore, as my father would say, and I’d like to see you use your abilities in a real fight before we send you to face your Trials.”

“Trials? I’m going through the Trials? You think I’m ready!” Rey quickly leaned back to look at him, hit her head on the hood of the cockpit and dropped back down. “Ouch.”

“Or maybe not,” he said with a chuckle and rubbed the back of her head with his good hand. “Not sure I can let you wander off on your own yet if inanimate objects can best you.”

“Very funny.”

“Yes, it is, isn’t it?”

Rey grumbled but settled more comfortably into his embrace and closed her eyes. It was in that moment that she realized that her home hadn’t been Ahch-To. _Luke_ was her home, and since Luke was coming with her, she had no reason to feel sorry to leave the small stone hut behind. The Temple Island could become just a treasured memory.

She fell asleep after that realization, and when she woke up, she was resting on the ground near a blazing fire with Luke’s cloak wrapped around her. Her mind was clear, her muscles weren’t on fire, and she both heard and sensed the company they had.

Anger was swirling through Luke as he knelt on the opposite side of the fireplace with hands clasped behind his back. He was levitating a small amount of water shaped into a smooth oval in front of his face, using it as a mirror, and a flat sharpened stone instead of a razor as he was trimming his beard. She was impressed by the control he exhibited given the state of his emotions.

Yoda was sitting on a log to her left and was currently saying, “…reckless you still are! Not your place to decide that was! Adventure, excitement, fight! That all you Skywalkers care about is! Humph.”

“I was doing what was right!” Anakin stood on Rey’s right, arms crossed over his chest as he started defiantly down at the ancient Jedi Master. “What was needed!”

Rey felt Luke’s anger rise, but he remained silent. Pain spiked through the bond as he cut his cheek. He ignored it and continued in his task, inhaling slowly and deeply.

“Your son ready is not, feel the anger in him, do you not? Humph! Young Kenobi recklessness you teach. Good that is? No. Only to a suffering that leads!”

“You can hardly judge when my son is ready or not to meet his destiny! And I don’t teach Rey recklessness. She’s the Chosen One! We are made bold and brave!”

“Silent you be!” Yoda knocked with his cane on the log. “Teach them, you will not. I too trusting was in you.”

“I’m Rey’s best chance! You are making a mistake!” Anakin roared, and his image changed – gone were the Jedi Knight and instead of him, something darker for a moment loomed over the fire. Then it flickered away, and the ghost’s shoulders slumped. “You’re making a mistake, Master. No one else can teach her about the power the Dark Side users wield as much as I can.”

“Anger, aggression, fear – the Dark Side of the Force are they. Overconfidence, too,” Yoda said and turned to look at her, raising a finger in warning. “You will know the good from the bad only when at peace, when calm. The Skywalkers never truly learned that, ruled by their emotions they all are. You, young Kenobi, learn that _must_. Much depends on it. Passiveness not inaction is. I say it again. Beware of the Dark Side you must be, do not allow it to dominate your destiny.”

“Yes, Master.” Rey bowed her head. The lecture was not meant for her ears only; both Skywalkers had heard it before, and Yoda was reminding them of it. Nostalgia bled through Luke’s emotions, and she could see how Anakin lowered his head in shame. How many times had Yoda repeated the same phrases to generations of his young students? All of those students but two were long dead now.

“Good. Luke, I still your anger feel. Continue until you calm completely are. Like a Jedi, you should look, not a savage who the arts of the Force knows not.”

“Yes, Master.” Luke’s voice was tightly controlled, and Rey glanced at him. He appeared composed, but she still felt the fierce anger which was making his blood boil. She wondered what she had missed that had upset Luke so. Probably something Anakin had said.

“Anakin, you go, and with Obi-Wan talk, every moment he should here be. Mistake it was to bring you to the younglings in the first place.”

“Don’t say that, Master.” Anakin gulped. “I… I didn’t mean to do any harm.”

“Any harm?” Luke spoke evenly. However, Rey was not fooled. He let the stone drop, and the water splashed on the ground. He had wanted to throw the stone away with as much Force as possible, but he had refrained. “You could have killed Rey – and Master Yoda is right. I am not ready to run around the galaxy dueling Knights of Ren, or do I look calm to you? You are not my enemy, and I am barely restraining myself. My anger will triple in battle, and I do not need to say what that could mean. I thought you of all people understood that.”

“You underestimate your power,” said Anakin while Luke stood up and marched closer to the Force ghost. “You are much stronger than me, Luke! You will overcome the temptation, find your peace. I know that!”

“You know nothing!” he growled, his voice lowering. “Nothing.”

Rey just gaped at them, all the emotions flowing through the Force were making her head spin. She felt Luke’s desperation, anger, and fear through their bond. Due to her better attunement to the Force, she also felt the faint echoes of Anakin’s guilt and hopelessness at the whole situation. The only one who wasn’t projecting any emotion was Yoda, who was shaking his head at the two Skywalkers.

“You have a direct link to the brightest Light in the entire universe. Don’t be daft, son, you’re not turning Dark! Rey won’t let you!”

“It’s not her responsibility to keep me calm, father, and I can’t believe you stand here and say that. It’s mine. I should be helping Rey mastering her emotions, not the other way around. Her destiny is much greater than that!”

“Exactly! So you _do_ understand why I nudged you along, right? We were all wasting time on that Force-forsaken planet. You should be out there fighting, not hiding in ruins and crying about something that’s never going to happen.”

“Oh, are they arguing?” asked Obi-Wan as he materialized between them Rey and Yoda. He smiled down at his daughter and sat down. “I was quite amazed that the infamous Skywalker tempers didn’t clash even once while we were on Ahch-To. You have to give Luke some credit here, Master Yoda. His self-restraint was admirable.”

“Annoyed, often he was.”

“But he managed to control himself. I wonder… Was this one of the reasons why you invited Anakin along? To help Luke deal with his anger?” Her father’s eyes were sparkling. “Because I’m afraid it doesn’t work much right now.”

Yoda’s ear twitched, and he turned to look at his onetime student with a stony expression.

Rey glanced between the two Force ghosts and covered her mouth with her hand before she asked innocently, “Was Luke like this when he was younger?”

“Oh, yes. Like father like son – unlike Anakin, Luke _mostly_ grew out of it.”

“Well, I don’t appreciate that they are acting as if I wasn’t here and didn’t have any say in my life.” Rey rose from the ground and marched to the two arguing Skywalkers.

“Oh, poor them,” proclaimed Yoda gleefully and grinned, watching the trio in anticipation. “Nothing worse than a Kenobi on the warpath is.”

“Luke doesn’t know what hit him yet, does he? She’ll keep the _whole_ galaxy on its toes,” Obi-Wan stated proudly as the two Jedi Masters settled to enjoy the show. Every Kenobi had an inane ability to dress a Skywalker down, the ghost thought with a small grin, and the Force had been very kind to provide Luke with one.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, the Force ghosts ship them and Luke has Obi’s approval. Now, if only the two stubborn blind fools will get on with it, as Anakin would say. Notice that he is the worst matchmaker ever. If that’s what he was trying to do…  
> This chapter was fun to write, and I hope it was fun to read. I love writing Luke and Rey just talking and interacting like this. It’s so easy...  
> Also, I’d like to remind you that characters in the story can lie and obviously sometimes they really do that and have their own opinions and perspectives. It’s up to you to decide whom you believe and I’ll leave some things open to interpretation… sort of making my story yours in this small way :)  
> Next time, we’ll see the night from Luke’s perspective. I already have the interlude written, it just needs a bit of polishing, so stay tuned and let me know what you think. Love you, guys!


	12. Luke's Interlude 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Luke’s thoughts and actions that night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It’s a bit longer than I planned but I hope you’ll enjoy it. Have fun :)

“No!” Luke thundered when he felt Rey’s heart give up. He couldn’t think. The air inside was heavy and clouded his mind, and the walls of their home were closing in on him. When the frantic thump-thump stopped entirely, he lost control of his emotions.

The solid stones of their hut rattled and were suddenly flung away from them so he could breathe and see the starry skies and feel the Force flow between them easier. The bond was still in place, he felt its vivacity. But he didn’t have the time to marvel at it, think about the way the colors of their respective Force presences blended together – no longer simply intertwined but merged – and how dazzling it was, how beautiful and pure.

Bringing Rey’s body closer, Luke blinked back tears and focused on the still organ inside her chest, gently touching it with his will, nudging it to move. He couldn’t stand the way just his feelings were crashing over him, that none of her thoughts strayed into his mind. The bond had been in place for only several short minutes it had taken him to sprint from the Temple, and he already missed its full effects.

“Luke, son…”

His father appeared where the door used to be and Luke glared at him, dangerous anger coming to life inside of him. When he had found himself pulled into a deep meditation, he had immediately suspected his father’s involvement. Anakin Skywalker had spent the last weeks trying to convince both him and Obi-Wan to take this next step and had been firmly refused; for good reasons. Luke wasn’t a stranger to this poison running in his veins, no, but he was surprised at the sudden intensity of it. He had also never expected it to be directed at his own father.

“No,” he only said and tried to shake off the feeling. He would not give in to his anger; it would only distract him when he needed to focus. “Later, father. I can’t deal with you right now.”

“Is it the heart? I could try to…” The ghost stepped closer, reaching one translucent hand towards them.

“No!” Luke closed his eyes, breathing through his nose deeply. “Not. Now.”

The Force shuddered with his words and Anakin Skywalker disappeared, his face forlorn. Luke, fighting for composure, turned to look down at Rey’s still form and reached for her heart again. Putting his good hand over the place where it rested in her chest, he sent a slight jolt of energy through their connection to start it up.

“Rey, darling girl, do not do this,” he murmured into her ear, his eyes closed, as he felt how the blaze of their bond was dimming. This more than anything forced the last traces of his anger away. The places in his mind, heart, and soul which had become hers upon the completion of the bond were starting to feel empty. Her life was slowly slipping away from them. Luke refused to lose hope, he had to stay calm, to focus, to lend her his strength.

“You’re stronger than this, and so very much needed here. Rey, please, come back. Come on, little one. Come on. Please, Rey. Please.” Again he nudged Rey’s heart, his life force trying to convince it to beat once more.

Luke swallowed and took a deep breath before he lowered Rey to the floor and stared at her face. The stillness of her expression was unnatural, so very wrong. It couldn’t end like this, not now. There were things Rey needed to see, to experience. This could not be the end of her journey.

“You have to live, Rey,” he said. He cupped her cheek with his left hand, caressing the line of her jaw before he held her nose between his thumb and forefinger as he leaned closer. For another second, his face hovered over hers, and he hesitated. Then, inhaling deeply, Luke closed his eyes. His lips touching Rey’s, he breathed into her mouth, filling her lungs with much-needed air.

“You have to live.” He leaned back and put his good hand over her heart, sending another shockwave through their bond. The Force would not do that to her, not to its chosen champion. Rey was needed more than she understood. The whole universe needed her and…

“I need you.” Saying the words out loud set him free. What a wonderful feeling, to acknowledge the emotion behind them, the cherished secret buried deep inside of his very soul. Luke took another deep breath and was about to repeat the process when the colors of their bond snapped back into place suddenly, Rey filling him again. He kissed her forehead instead of touching his lips against hers one more time and wept with joy as he could feel the tentative thump-thump of her heart under his palm. She remained unconscious, but Luke put a trembling hand over his eyes and bowed over her torso, his shoulders shaking.

The idea of losing such a bright young life was unbearable – the idea of losing her was… He would not think about it, dark thoughts lay that way.

He allowed himself several moments of respite to gain some semblance of composure and then he gathered Rey close into his arms and stumbled from the ruins of their home. The night was warm and the moons bright above their heads. As much as he would have loved to just sit and watch the skies, basking in the beauty that was their bond and the music which was her heartbeat, he knew there was urgent work ahead of him.

Summoning their lightsabers and tucking them behind his belt, Luke carried his precious cargo all the way down to the beach. She was so light in his arms – with her talents and fortitude, it was so easy to forget how young and fragile Rey was in fact. Wrapping her gently in his cloak for additional warm, he spread out his senses, reaching deeply into the Force.

He gasped and doubled over when it flooded him, the chains he had carefully put around himself breaking and turning into nothing. All that power thrumming through his veins again was making him feel young and strong and unstoppable. The Force was all around him, in all things – and _he_ was the Force.

The sensation was exquisite, heady. Only Rey’s unobtrusive presence at the back of his mind was keeping him from losing himself in the feeling, reminding Luke why he was doing this. For the first time in a decade, he let his powers go with the flow of the Force entirely, accepting it back into his life. Not for power, not for revenge but because it was _right_. Luke had been meant to wield this power, and that came with certain responsibilities. No longer he would sit back and let the universe suffer. He would do right by his sister and her freedom fighters. He would do right by Rey; the girl who had come to him, not demanding anything, not expecting anything, just believing in him.

Breathing in deeply, he smiled, imagining Rey’s bright, hopeful eyes, before he let go of his thoughts and submerged in the Force. He was just observing and waiting patiently, letting it guide him to what he needed to see.

There, yes. It was as they had suspected – the bonding had sent a shockwave through the entire universe, and the black oily spot in the far reaches of the galaxy was buzzing with excitement. He knew where to look for them, didn’t he?

_“Kylo Ren, are you so impatient to meet again?”_ Luke whispered in his direction along the shattered remains of the training bond he had once shared with Ren. He knew that the words reached their destination when the monster inhabiting his nephew’s body recoiled. How satisfying. Luke lingered in the Force for a moment longer, his presence burning so brightly with his power. He wished to let them _all_ know of his return before he masked himself in the Force, dimming his light. Snoke, the Knights of Ren, his sister, everyone now had become aware of one thing. Luke Skywalker was back, and he wouldn’t go down without a fight, not this time. Not ever again.

What other choice did he have?

Their sanctuary was lost, and only war awaited them. The timing was far from ideal but when had the Fate and Anakin Skywalker ever shown any consideration for Luke and his wishes? He hadn’t had enough time to come to terms with his emotions; both past _and_ present. He had no idea what to do with…

Closing his eyes, he turned to face the water and raised his hand, focusing. The Force rushed to do his bidding quickly, almost excitedly welcoming its wayward son back. Slowly, very slowly his old starfighter rose from the depths of the ocean, and he carefully put it on the improvised landing platform near them.

He picked up Rey again and made his way to the X-wing. He quickly assessed the faithful machine for any damage, finding it operable, and willed the cockpit to open, moving the seat as far as it would go. Careful not to jostle Rey, Luke levitated her and jumped up himself, sliding into the place and putting Rey gently onto his lap. It was a tight fit, but they didn’t have much time with the First Order coming for them.

He bombed the storage cave as he zoomed around the Temple Island. Only when they were in the relative safety of the hyperspace, Luke relaxed and leaned his head back, holding Rey tightly in his arms. He had thought that there hadn’t been much room for any new emotions in his weary old heart but fear and pain and desperation. However, Rey was showing him again and again that he was still alive and he still could feel so much. He observed the bond, feelings of peace and happiness settling over him as he watched the blues and greens and purples pulse with his giddiness while the streaks of gold simply glowed steadily in contentment. The bond was gentle, warm and caressing his tired soul, and tried to lull him to sleep as he thought Rey would try were she awake.

He would take his clues from her, he decided. With the way their emotions were connected now, Luke would make sure to always keep her comfortable and happy. Perhaps with time, the path stretching out in front of them would become clearer, and their respective roles in each other’s lives better defined.

Dropping a kiss into Rey’s hair, Luke closed his eyes and marveled at the splendor of the connection for a moment longer, letting the emotions Rey had awoken in him spread around them like a protective blanket. He would defend the source of such a wonderful feeling no matter the personal cost.

After a moment, Luke sighed slowly and opened his eyes, staring blankly into the darkness around him. He worried and wasn’t that a familiar feeling? He didn’t have any other choice but to fight in the war and to win it. Returning to life without the bond, without her, was unthinkable. It would be like trying to sustain a heartbeat without half of his heart.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This interlude was very easy to write, but I’ve spent an insane amount of time rewriting and editing it. Still not happy with the result but I suppose it serves its purpose, and hopefully it will give you a better understanding of what is going through Luke’s head in the coming chapters. What do you think about his reactions and emotions? Please let me know in the comments ;) Thanks


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Rey and Luke share an important moment, and their taxi to the Resistance arrives.

It was extraordinary, the way their emotions were flowing between them. Staying unaffected was impossible. Luke’s anger was fuelling Rey’s irritation, and her annoyance lent him the fire behind his words. He glanced at her when she came to stand next to them, and his eyes flashed with apprehension as he realized precisely which feeling was his and which was hers.

“Rey?” he asked a spark of trepidation leaking through their bond.

“Luke. Anakin.” Rey crossed her arms over her chest and glared at them. “Would you mind if I joined your conversation about _me_?”

Luke’s eyes widened at the sharp tone of her voice. “I didn’t mean to-”

“Yes, well. You did. And you have some explaining to do,” she pointed at Anakin. Rey knew she was unable to do him any harm but the idea of taking her lightsaber and swinging at his head, repeatedly, was not unwelcome. She was even certain it had nothing to do with Luke’s anger at his father. Or maybe it did. “Fancy a duel, big brother?”

 “Actually,” Anakin took a step back and glanced over Rey’s head at his former Master. She got a rare glimpse at the boy Darth Vader had been more than half a century ago. “I think… I think your father needs to talk to me. Maybe later, Rey?”

Then the infuriating Force ghost vanished into thin air.

“I hate when he does that,” growled Rey and turned to Luke, pointing her finger at him, and poked him in the chest. “Do I have to repeat myself or do you know what I was going to say?”

How many times did they have to go through this? Anakin had been right; Luke wouldn’t fall to the Dark Side – not because of Rey but because he was a good man and had people to help him sort out his anger issues. Luke wasn’t his father or his nephew, and she believed in him. She would gladly remind him every day for the rest of their lives and longer. Didn’t he understand? They were linked by the Force itself, their destinies irrevocably joined. They weren’t just a Master and Padawan any longer – perhaps they had never really been. Their relationship had always been that of equals, and she wouldn’t let him doubt himself. She pushed her emotions through the bond, trying to make him understand, quite frustrated with him for being so stubborn.

Luke stared at her, his eyes an endless sea of blue, and Rey wondered what _exactly_ he saw in her expression, and if her thoughts had found their way into his mind. She felt as the rest of his anger melted away, a sense of warmth enveloping them both for a short moment, and then only embarrassment started coming from him in waves. He gave Rey a small smile and hesitatingly reached for her hand to stop her from repeating her action. “It won’t be necessary.”

As the roughened skin of his left palm came into contact with the back of her hand, her feelings of annoyance were utterly forgotten. Just looking into his earnest eyes had that effect on her but then he put her palm over his heart, holding it in place with a sheepish smile. “I know, Rey, I’m sorry.”

How could she possibly remain annoyed at him?

“Okay.” She nodded and stepped closer, observing him. Luke’s beard was unevenly cut; too short on the left side of his jaw, too long on his chin and under his nose. The blood from his cut colored it rusty red on his right cheek. She touched the little wound with her fingers gently – it had already closed. “You look ridiculous.”

“There was a reason why I didn’t attempt to trim it in the last seven months. The end results are always ridiculous. It hadn’t mattered when there had been only thala-sirens to impress, though.” Luke winked at her and Rey grinned.

“Maybe you could just shave it off, you know.”

At that, he gave her an exasperated look. “No. I don’t want to look like a fresh-faced schoolboy, thank you very much. It undermines the whole ‘wise Jedi Master’ image I’m trying to project.”

Rey’s expression lit up, and he immediately shook his head, sensing her sudden eagerness to see exactly that. She had never even thought about how he looked without the facial hair obscuring half of his face and was suddenly very curious about it.

The level of Luke’s embarrassment rose, and he stated firmly, “No, Rey, no.”

It took her a second to understand that he was actually _shy_ about it, and she suppressed a smile, looking down at their joined hands. Behind the legend of the Jedi Master, she had found a man, and inside of that man, she was discovering a gentle soul – every day, bit by bit. When she looked him in the eye again, she offered softly, “Maybe I could help you trim it, then?”

He blinked at her and his gaze flickered all over her face, his expression uncertain. “Alright.”

It was as if Rey didn’t have any control over her own limbs because her hand then moved to the side of Luke’s neck, rested on his shoulder and touched the wavy ends of several strands of his hair. “Are you growing it out or do you need help with cutting that, too?”

“There are two kinds of human males in this galaxy, Rey. The ones who can pull off long hair with ease, and the ones who can’t. We can get started as soon as we finish the talk with Master Yoda and your fa-” Luke chuckled and glanced behind her at the surprisingly quiet Force ghosts only to say, “Oh.”

Rey turned quickly to discover that they had been left alone at some point during the conversation. She hadn’t noticed when the faint presences of Master Yoda and her father had disappeared, and she was certain that they hadn’t even said goodbye. She hadn’t been that wrapped up in talking to Luke, had she?

“Guess they decided the situation was under control.” Rey shrugged and summoned the small sharp stone Luke had been using earlier, pulling at his hand. “Come on, let’s do this. We’re getting scissors and a proper razor for the next time, though.”

She tried to ignore the small sharp tug inside of her chest when Luke gave her an incredulous look; so startled and yet pleased. It was only a little thing, nothing in comparison to the intimacy of their bond, but it felt strangely more personal than sharing feelings and memories or thoughts; maybe because they didn’t have to share this and yet they chose to.

“That could be useful.” He nodded and let her drag him closer to the fire.

Rey was used to trimming her own hair, but it took her some time to figure out how to cut Luke’s – he was patient and sat still as she was combing her finger through it. With only a tiny bit of embarrassed surprise, she marveled at its unexpected softness, noticing that his hair was actually a darker shade of blond; the silver threads in it made it appear lighter. The only reaction she got from him was the way their bond hummed with amusement, and she couldn’t help her grin from time to time, feeling almost giddy.

Then there was the beard which proved to be a bigger challenge. She managed to cut most of it off without any issues but then she got to the point when the sharp edge of the stone would come to close contact with his skin. Rey’s hand trembled when she touched Luke’s jawline and tilted his head back to gain better access under his chin. “Is this alright?”

She didn’t know why she felt suddenly so nervous – perhaps it was the fact how quickly he had allowed her to expose his throat. The gesture alone spoke volumes but the trust that flooded her through their bond, trying to reassure her, actually made the trembling worse.

“It’s fine, Rey. No need to be nervous.” Luke smiled at her and offered his cheek to start with. Rey nodded and took a deep breath. The stone was razor sharp, and she needed to be careful so she wouldn’t cut him more. It had proven to be difficult as his half-lidded eyes followed her movements. Rey had to focus on her breathing, copying inadvertently Luke’s slow rhythm of inhaling and exhaling, while the same familiar feeling of warmth enveloped them. The bond thrummed with electricity.

A compromise was in order – he would get to keep the beard, and Rey would get to see his face if it would be only a few millimeters long. When Rey was finished, she stepped back a little and stared at him as if she had never seen him before. With his hair and beard cut so short, the blue of his eyes was much more striking, and the hidden features of Luke’s face were revealed; the strong set of his jaw, the dimple on his chin, laugh lines around his mouth, the exact shape of his lips.

He was so… He looked… She had never thought that…

“Rey?” Luke asked, sensing and seeing her bewilderment, and rubbed his chin. “Oh, Rey! That’s too short! It’s not a beard, it’s… It’s stubble!”

“No, I think the length’s perfect! You look so handsome!” As soon as the words left her lips, Rey wanted to slap her hand over her mouth, wishing the ground would open and swallow her. Luke just blinked at her, uncomprehending, and a wave of awkwardness settled over them.

“I think I never had hair that short, you know.” He rubbed his jaw and then the short hair at the back of his head, looking at the ground. Rey wasn’t sure who was more mortified by what she had just said. “I’m afraid to let you go anywhere near me with a proper razor and scissors no less… Rey? Are you alright? You seem a bit distracted.”

Rey swallowed, a healthy blush spreading across her cheeks, and glanced around the campsite, her eyes following the treetops. She tried to convince herself she had just _not_ spent the last ten seconds staring at Luke’s lips. Just hadn’t, definitely not. Thank the Force for small mercies – her thoughts were such a jumbled mess that there was no way he could catch even the slightest echo of them.

Shaking off the sudden, startling realization that yes, Luke Skywalker was a good-looking man, Rey cleared her throat. “I’m ok and the beard it’s fine like that. Now, where are we and what are we doing here?”

Luke stared at her in wonder for a moment, and with her own emotions wreaking havoc inside of her, she was unable to pick up any of his.

Still gingerly touching his hair, he swept the slightly longer bangs to the side and rolled his shoulders, finally answering, “We’re waiting for the Resistance to pick us up and transport us to the base.”

Rey flopped down next to him on the ground and snuggled closer to his side. As the night slowly fell, it was getting colder, and he had already proven to be the best source of warmth in the entire galaxy. Luke lifted his arm and wrapped it around Rey’s shoulders with a small smile. For a moment, they basked in the renewed contact and the familiar feelings of safety and contentment it provided. The awkwardness of moments ago was easily forgotten. This was Luke. He had always been handsome, some part of her had known that, and becoming aware of it now didn’t change a thing, Rey decided.

“Why don’t we fly to D’Qar?” She asked after a minute or two. They had the X-wing, and she was not going to complain about the way they had fitted inside.

“The base had to be relocated. Apparently, we missed an interesting adventure.” Luke’s head was tilted back, and he was watching the skies. “The losses were minimal; my sister wiped the floor with General Hux during the chase he gave and later on Crait. Fortunately, both Snoke and Kylo Ren were focusing on finding us more than on crushing the Resistance. The threat we present is too great for them to ignore.”

“And why is that?” Rey glanced at his solemn face at the right moment – Luke’s lips turned up in a wry smile for a split of a second.

“Your strength alone is alarming for them. With me back and you as my student, the playing field has just been leveled. The Knights of Ren are only mediocre Force users trained by a crippled Sith, and a Jedi Padawan turned traitor.” Luke’s voice was emotionless when he spoke about his nephew and his dark master, the old anger for a moment rising inside of him, but Luke was quick to push it back. She watched his profile for a moment until he turned to look at her. He was serious, his eyes sad, the echo of old pain lingering in their blue depths.

“When the word spreads, that Skywalker’s returned and has taken on a new apprentice – and it will – the worlds which have been neutral will flock to my sister’s side, and the planets under the rule of the First Order start to rebel. The Jedi, us, are their hope and that’s the push these systems need. The First Order will burn down. It’s going to be so messy, Rey; half of the galaxy could burn along with it.”

His melancholy enveloped them, and Rey swallowed. The idea that people would rally behind her was hard to believe, but Luke spoke from personal experience. He had been where she was right now. She found his hand and gave it a slight squeeze before Luke laced their fingers together.

“Then we’ll have to make sure to help rebuild it if it happens.” She said and smiled at him. “No darkness can last forever, Luke. The dawn will always come.”

“Yes,” he murmured and wrapped his other arm around Rey in an affectionate embrace, resting his chin on top of her head, holding her firmly against his chest. She still managed to catch the look in his eyes – and felt the tidal wave of emotions through their bond. He considered her to be the dawn after a long, long night. “I’m starting to believe that.”

She returned the hug, sneaking her arms around his waist, getting as close as she could, and held him tightly. Hope, affection, gratitude, it all floated between them freely, their emotions so deep and pure, the warmth of their feelings keeping the chill of the night away.

Luke was the first one to lean back. He turned his eyes towards the skies once more and proclaimed, “I believe we’re about to have some company.”

He wasn’t alarmed, so Rey assumed it was their transport to the Resistance and reluctantly released her hold on him and spread her senses around – but felt nothing. Not counting local fauna, they were alone. “I don’t sense anyone’s presence.”

Luke glanced down at her, his eyes sparkling. “We have around 20 minutes.”

She gaped at him. “You feel them light years away?! I need to learn that!”

“It’s a matter of practice and meditation; lots and lots of meditation. Would you like some help with that, my young Padawan learner?”

“Sure!” Rey disentangled herself from him and assumed a cross-legged position, gazing at him expectantly.

“Okay, I didn’t mean right now – but a little demonstration won’t hurt, I suppose.” Luke chuckled, shifted to sit in front of her and nodded. “Start as usual.”

Rey closed her eyes and let go of her conscious thoughts and feelings, allowing the peace of the Force envelop her. It wasn’t the same as before, though. No matter how hard she tried, there was something at the back of her mind that she could not let go – it was a permanent part of her.

Luke, she realized with a gasp.

_‘Amazing’_ his mind brushed against hers gently, the thought awed. _‘It’s actually making this much easier. Don’t be alarmed, I’m going to guide you through the steps.’_

Then Luke took both her hands in his and proceeded to show her that Anakin wasn’t the only Skywalker willing to cheat while teaching her something. His presence gently tugged at hers, and they entered the deep meditative trance. Anakin had merely pulled her along, but Luke demonstrated everything step by step and taught her how to spread her senses further from her body, how to delve deep into the Force to feel it thrum not only in her close proximity but through the whole planet. With practice, she would be able to reach even farther – sense the life in the entire solar system and later also in the far, far reaches of the galaxy.

She felt Finn, Poe, BB-8 and an unknown man approach the planet, land near to them and enter the wooded area. As they were coming closer and closer, she asked, _‘Shouldn’t we stop?’_

  _‘No. Let them see and spread the word.’_ Luke’s answer bubbled with amusement. Rey didn’t have any idea what he had meant but trusted him enough to continue with the meditation.

When her friends finally stumbled upon the campsite, she felt their astonishment and heard Poe say, “No way, no freaking way!”

It broke her concentration to the point that she slipped out of the meditation – and found herself floating in the air, roughly two meters from the ground. It happened in a split of a second. Luke brought her closer and wrapped his arms around Rey’s torso to prevent her from falling as he too finished his meditation. He carefully guided them back to the ground, glaring at the intruders in what she knew was mock displeasure. Inside, he was fighting the urge to burst out laughing at their stunned expressions.

“Now, that was most rude, Poe.”

“Well! Sorry, I wasn’t expecting to see that, Uncle Luke!”

Uncle Luke? Rey stepped away from his embrace and glanced at him. Luke was unashamedly not sorry – he even looked a bit _smug_.  So they had been apparently floating during the meditation, hadn’t they? Two meters off the ground no less. The mischief in his eyes was a sight to behold, and she had to school her own expression, his amusement tugging her lips to curl upwards. They had been spending too much time with Anakin – and Yoda, especially Yoda.

“You knew, didn’t you.”

“Of course.” He just smiled, patted her shoulder and strode to shake hands with the young pilot. “Look at you, you have grown into a fine young man!”

A series of beeps alerted her to the presence of her droid friend. “BB! Oh, you have a new one, that’s so nice!” Rey bent down to the small droid and adjusted its antenna. “Of course I missed you, too.”

BB-8 beeped again and rolled off to introduce itself to Luke, excitedly chirping about meeting R2D2. Rey then turned to look at Finn, and her heart skipped a beat when she saw her friend. Finn stood awkwardly at the side with the other man in a pilot’s suit, both unsure if they should come closer to the two Jedi.

The last time she had seen him, he had been severely injured from a fight where he had tried to defend her. Knowing he was alive wasn’t the same thing as seeing him standing in front of her, healthy and in one piece. She was so relieved, and she beamed at him – a broad smile that almost split her face in two. Seeing that, Finn grinned and spread his arms. Rey didn’t waste a moment longer and rushed towards him, crying, “Finn!”

“Rey! I let you out of my sight for a second, and you go and start levitating and stuff!” he said as he lifted her and spun them around. “I’m so glad to see you!”

Squeezing the breath out of her first real friend, the only one who had come back for her even though he hadn’t had to, and watching Luke listening to Poe and BB-8 about the battle of Crait, was enough to make her feel insanely happy.

Just for a moment, until the war would truly begin.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, my dear Rey, you WISH he hasn’t picked up on your emotions the moment he realized which ones are his and which ones are yours. This is Luke we’re talking about, and you are, frankly, projecting a lot through the bond. Also, congratulation on getting your blindfold lifted! The real question is, what are you two going to do now, hmm?
> 
> Anyway, hey, guys! Is it just me, or has the temperature risen suddenly? I sure hope you like the chapter because it took me quite some time to figure out how to write it. The trimming scene especially, and Finn and Poe’s arrival.
> 
> Before I forget, I’d like to invite you all to read my new multichapter story ‘Dusk till Dawn,’ an AU featuring Bad Boy Luke I’ve talked about. It’s M rated, features good Kylo Ren and totally cool Luke who is according to AnonymousVow, a cure for her Ben Solo allergy. You all know how I feel about Kylo Ren, but I’m actually enjoying writing Ben as a nice guy. Not to mention that exploring Luke’s dark side is exciting. So, check it out and let me know what you think! Love you all :)

**Author's Note:**

> *nervously peeks out of her hiding place*  
> That’s it. I’ve done it! Hope you like it – I never wrote fanfiction before, so I was pretty scared to share it with the whole world. So, let me know what you think. Should I make it multi-chapter? Where would you like to see the two of them go? I have some ideas, but I’d be happy as our two Labrador puppies to hear your thoughts (and we have the happiest doggies you can imagine)! If you haven’t guessed, English is my second language, and I really do hate commas. Anyone interested in beta-reading this baby?  
> *ducks behind a massive bowl of popcorn*


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